Theme Of The Play Our Town

Thornton Wilder creates a celebration of life in his play Our Town. Unlike most plays, Wilder strips the scenery, set, and props bare in Our Town to elevate the greatness of the simple and ordinary life while presenting “no curtain. No scenery. The audience, arriving, sees an empty stage in half light” (Wilder act 1). The playwright invites the audience to use their imagination to fill in the lack of detail. He makes the story personal by creating a simple plot, ordinary characters, and using the word “our” in the title Our Town, demonstrating that the theme is applicable to all people. Through the Stage Manager, and three acts, Wilder demonstrates the importance for humans to live fully in their present despite time passing quickly.
Through the Stage Manager, Wilder unfolds …show more content…
Unique to most dramas, the Stage Manager narrates throughout the story to not only explain the scenes, but also to serve as a timekeeper. The Stage Manager’s exposition directs the time of the story: “Well!...good deal of time's gone by…The day's running down like a tired clock” or “Three years have gone by. Yes, the sun's come up over a thousand times” (20, 31). Not only does he skip through time, but he also mentions that “unfortunately our time is limited… Afraid we won't have time for that,” which demonstrates that he realizes the shortness of time both in this play and in life (12-13). The Stage Manager exists to show how time is fleeting. By continually breaking the fourth wall, the Stage Manager involves the audience into the story. Stage Manager has an authoritative position where he knows the past and