Grossmont College’s Stagehouse Theatre is wrapping up its season with Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Our Town,” directed by Walter Allen Bennett. Opening night is May 16, running through May 25. Tickets are now available online.
“Our Town,” is an American classic unfolding the simple, yet profound story of a love affair set in the mythical village of Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire and is often considered one of the greatest plays of all time.
“Can a play written in 1938 about a fictional town in 1901 still resonate with our cities in 2024? “Yes, it can,” said Bennett.
A classic play, Bennett said “Our Town” is a timeless piece of work.
“It talks about the circle of life,” he said. “It talks about the commonality that everyone has moving forward in life and trying to live a simple life. Even when life is complicated, it boils down to simplicity of the themes of ‘Our Town.’ We live, we love, we marry, we have children, we raise them, and then pass things on to them before we pass on ourselves.”
Bennett said he believes people forget about the simplicities of the day with the advancement of technology, politics, and everything else happening around us and the world.
“We forget about the simplicity that we strive for in our lives,” he said. “This is one of the wonderful reasons that I wanted to direct ‘Our Town.’ I think that it is a message that will come across clearly. Not mentally, but to be felt. That is what I am seeking in directing the play. We think, yes, but it is also about feeling that there is a thread that goes through time and in¬terconnects us all.”
