Our Town Sparknotes
Donta' Broussard
1393380
THEA 1331
"Our Town"
Described by Edward Albee as "......the greatest American play ever written."Our Town explores traditional American values of community, religion, family, and the simple leisures while adding an unusual set, a Stage Manager who narrates and controls the action. Our Town addresses themes as mortality, the human condition, and the value of everyday life. In Our Town, the main role belongs to the Stage Manager, who jokes with the audience, narrates the action, and while philosophizing, connects the people of the small town of Grover's Corners with the world as one. The set features minimal props and scenery, while the characters act as symbols rather than a "normal" individual. I believe that the Stage Manager is the protagonist of "Our Town." It is his motivation to describe the town, to introduce and explain the townspeople that are a part of the play. He does not have a physical antagonist, but he does run into difficulties as both the narrator and stage manager. For example, a professor who is very long-winded and has to be cut short while he is talking, while another is the newspaper editor who doesn't show up on time. The Stage Manager also has difficulties in explaining where places are on a proscenium stage. Also, he has problems with his …show more content…
He shows the first morning like an average day, but as plain observers, we appreciate the experience more than anything. When morning came, and it was time for the wedding, looming events change the morning routines and create a different experience. Lastly, Wilder illustrates the morning of Emily’s twelfth birthday through the eyes of her soul in the afterlife, a perspective that gives the morning a different meaning. Wilder implies that though normal routines and events may be repetitive, the details are what make life interesting and deserve
1393380
THEA 1331
"Our Town"
Described by Edward Albee as "......the greatest American play ever written."Our Town explores traditional American values of community, religion, family, and the simple leisures while adding an unusual set, a Stage Manager who narrates and controls the action. Our Town addresses themes as mortality, the human condition, and the value of everyday life. In Our Town, the main role belongs to the Stage Manager, who jokes with the audience, narrates the action, and while philosophizing, connects the people of the small town of Grover's Corners with the world as one. The set features minimal props and scenery, while the characters act as symbols rather than a "normal" individual. I believe that the Stage Manager is the protagonist of "Our Town." It is his motivation to describe the town, to introduce and explain the townspeople that are a part of the play. He does not have a physical antagonist, but he does run into difficulties as both the narrator and stage manager. For example, a professor who is very long-winded and has to be cut short while he is talking, while another is the newspaper editor who doesn't show up on time. The Stage Manager also has difficulties in explaining where places are on a proscenium stage. Also, he has problems with his …show more content…
He shows the first morning like an average day, but as plain observers, we appreciate the experience more than anything. When morning came, and it was time for the wedding, looming events change the morning routines and create a different experience. Lastly, Wilder illustrates the morning of Emily’s twelfth birthday through the eyes of her soul in the afterlife, a perspective that gives the morning a different meaning. Wilder implies that though normal routines and events may be repetitive, the details are what make life interesting and deserve