Our Town
by Thornton Wilder

Directed by Darren Sextro

This production of Our Town was inspired by David Cromer's staging of the play at the Barrow Street Theatre in New York, presented by Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian, Tom Wirtshafter, Ted Snowdon, Eagle Productions LLC, Dena Hammerstein/Pam Pariseau, the Weinstein Company and Burnt Umber Productions with sets by Michele Spadaro; costumes by Alison Siple; lighting by Heather Gilbert; original music and music direction by Jonathan Mastro. Thornton Wilder’s 1938 Pulitzer Prizewinning classic has played since February 2009 to great acclaim and sold-out audiences at Off Broadway’s Barrow Street Theatre. Prior to that, the production enjoyed a similarly applauded run at Chicago’s Chopin Theatre. Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal heralded this staging as “a landmark… arrestingly original.” The New York Times’ Charles Isherwood recognized it as “a wonderfully intimate and highly rewarding production…transmits the essence of Wilder’s philosophy with an overwhelming sensory immediacy

Auditions:
Thursday, June 10, 6:00-9:30pm
Wednesday, June 16, 6:00-9:30pm

It is not necessary to be at both audition dates. No appointment necessary.

Location:        Olathe Community Theatre Assn
                        500 E Loula
                        Olathe, KS 66061
                       
Production Dates: 

• Rehearsals begin the week of August 8 and average 4x per week. Exact schedule will be based on cast conflicts.
• Performances on September 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 and October 1, 2, 3 (the final three are tentative based on ticket sales).

PREPARE: 

• Please bring one headshot or photo of yourself, which we will keep.
• Prepare a 1- to 2-minute monologue, which you can either perform if memorized…or simply read. The audition also will include cold readings from the script.
• You are enthusiastically encouraged to read or at least familiarize yourself with the play in advance.

Production Staff:
Director: Darren Sextro
Stage Manager: Betsy Sexton
Lighting Designer: Craig McCann
Sound Designer: Darren Sextro
Costume Designer: Deb Winstone
Properties: Betsy Sexton
Set Designer: Alec Rigdon

“Our Town”: Who We’re Looking For…

X = Lines     C = Choir Scene     W = Wedding Scene

Character Descriptions:

(M) Stage Manager: In this Cromer version, the play’s director portrays the Stage Manager. While that remains a possibility, I’m open to other options.

(F) Mrs. Gibbs: Late 30something to 50something, depending on age of actors cast as Doc Gibbs (her husband) and George Gibbs (her son).

(M) Doc Gibbs: Late 30something to 50something, depending on age of actors cast as Mrs. Gibbs (his wife) and George Gibbs (his son).

(M) Joe Crowell: 20something. The newspaper boy. The script says he’s eleven years old, but this production uses a 20something actor who has a youthful spirit. Also part of the choir.

(M) Howie Newsome: The milkman. The script says he’s in his thirties, but in this production, Howie can be pretty much any age. Also part of the choir.

(M) George Gibbs: 20something, youthful maturity.

(F) Mrs. Webb: Late 30something to 50something, depending on age of actors cast as Mr. Webb (her husband) and Emily Webb (her daughter).

(F) Rebecca Gibbs: Late teens to early 20something. Must seem younger than the actor cast as George Gibbs (her brother), and must be small enough to sit on his lap comfortably for one long scene.

(F) Emily Webb: 20something, youthful maturity.

(M) Wally Webb: Late teens to early 20something. Should seem younger than the actor cast as Emily Webb (his sister).

(M) Professor Willard: 40something or older. This guy’s pretty much off in his own world. Might also be part of the choir.

(M) Mr. Webb: Late 30something to 50something, depending on age of actors cast as Mrs. Webb (his wife) and Emily Webb (his daughter).

(M) Simon Stimson: His age is less important than (1) his somewhat tragic nature and (2) the actor’s ability to play piano and conduct “choir practice” in Acts 1 and 2.

(F) Mrs. Soames: 30something to 60something, gossipy, bordering on a comedienne, one of the principals of the choir, then one of the cemetery people in Act 3.

(M) Constable Warren: 40something or older. Might also be part of the choir.

(M) Si Crowell: 20something. The script says he’s eleven years old, but this production uses a 20something actor who has a youthful spirit. Could be played by the same actor who plays Joe Crowell. Might also be part of the choir.

(M) Joe Stoddard: 30something or older. Undertaker in Act 3. Part of the choir in Acts 1 and 2.

(M) Sam Craig: 30something. Emily’s cousin who’s been away for 12 years and reappears in Act 3. Part of the choir in Acts 1 and 2.

(F) First Dead Woman: 30something or older. Cemetery scene in Act 3. Part of the choir in Acts 1 and 2.

(F) Second Dead Woman: 30something or older. Cemetery scene in Act 3. Part of the choir in Acts 1 and 2.

(M) Farmer McCarty/First Dead Man: 30something or older. Cemetery scene in Act 3. Part of the choir in Acts 1 and 2.

About This Production…

WHAT CRITICS HAVE SAID ABOUT
THE RECENT CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
PRODUCTIONS OF OUR TOWN

“A sturdy staple of the American theater — professional, amateur and educational — since its Broadway debut in 1938, ‘Our Town’ has become so familiar that its homespun surfaces can sometimes obscure its mournful philosophical depths. In Mr. Cromer’s staging the artifice of theater that Wilder sought to strip away — by heightening it, paradoxically — is even further dissolved by the immersion of the actors in the audience, or the audience in the playing space, depending on how you look at it.”
Charles Isherwood, The New York Times

“A muscular, unfussy reckoning with a great work, totally contemporary, yet true to the original.”
            David Cote, Time Out New York

“A wonderful production with revolutionary staging by David Cromer. It truly astounds.”
            Frank Scheck, NY Daily News

“Riveting, relevant, enduring and exceptional. It stirs the imagination and senses and sends you out deeply touched!”
            Joe Dziemianowicz, NY Daily News

“David Cromer’s rethinking of Thornton Wilder’s masterpiece is a landmark. I don't use the word ‘genius’ casually, but Mr. Cromer may fill the bill.”
            Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal

“David Cromer's brilliantly revisionist and astounding new production of ‘Our Town’ is his masterwork to date. In the jaw-dropping third act I found myself speaking the words ‘Oh, my God’ to no one. Cancel whatever you’re doing tonight and go and see this show.”
            Chris Jones, The Chicago Tribune

“There is a wondrous simplicity and nakedness about this production as it spins a blazingly intense yet sharply satiric story of two small-town, middle-class American families whose destinies become intertwined. This production should travel the globe.”
            Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times