Our Town Play

A theater production has many variables to it that must come together in order to produce the best product possible. Many people would automatically think that the acting is the most vital part to a theater production. However, other things such as the props, costumes, lighting, music, etc are just as important if not even more. Our Town is a popular and unique play that takes place in 1901 in the small town of Grover’s Corners, it 's lack of props, but attention to detail in the costumes, along with the lighting, play a major role in the production and helps get the message across to the audience. The set and props in this production were very minimal. Although many may see that as a negative thing, the lack of props actually emphasize …show more content…
The costumes were mostly vintage dresses and suits, and unlike the props and set, the costumes were needed in order for the audience to have a better understanding of the play. The Webb and Gibbs are the two main families in this play, and through their costumes they must represent a nuclear family, who live in a 20th century modern home. Once the audience was able to see the old, vintage attire, their perspective on the families and the characters changed. Furthermore, because this play covers the time period between 1901 and 1913, the costumes allow the audience to know when the play’s tone and time has shifted. At the beginning of the play Emily and George were high school students in their mid teens who had a romance and were mostly full of smiles. Therefore, their costumes consisted of a vibrant colored dress and comfortable school clothe. Then the play jumps nine years later, and Emily and George are now in their 20s, so their entire costumes had to consist of grown women dresses and suits. The major events such as them getting married and Emily dying wouldn 't have been received by the audience the way Thorton Wilder wanted us to if they were wearing anything …show more content…
He stated “it 's a little play with all the big subjects in it; and it 's a big play with all the little things of life impressed into it.” But the overall theme and message of Our Town is to live life to the fullest and not to take things for granted. Even though we cannot relate to the time nor place of Our Town, I believe the message applies to all of us. Many of us go through our lives not acknowledging the little things. We lose sight of how lucky we are to have a family, or have friends that are always there for us, and this play does a great job of portraying this message. We see the main character after her death, recalling a moment in her life, and she would 've done anything for a second chance to relive it, but the truth is that we will never be able to do that. There is a popular saying that goes, “you don 't realize what you have until it 's gone,” well when you 're dead, everything is gone. So we need to appreciate everything that we have and the kind things that people