Background  Thornton Wilder presents insights in his works in ways that were, in his lifetime, unconventional and innovative.  Our Town established him as an important playwright.  He won the Pulitzer Prize in drama 1938, the year the play opened.

Wilder’s Unique Devices  seven props in the entire play  stage manager is the omniscient narrator and takes an active role in play  flashes back to the past, reveals things about the future, and makes references to both within the present

Setting Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire Themes 1. Universal quality/significance of life 2. Appreciate even the smallest events in daily life 3. Live each moment to the fullest, for tomorrow it may be gone

Keep in Mind  Each act represents a different phase in life: daily life, love and marriage, and death.  Stage manager will function somewhat as the Chorus in Greek theatre throughout the play  Certain misspellings and errors in word usage are deliberate to reflect the New England dialect  Wilder often uses large numbers to highlight universal significance: note the recurrent words “a thousand times,” a thousand days,” and “millions of gallons.”  Wilder wanted to convey passion to know what life means to us through his play.

 Stage manager  The Gibbs Family: Dr. Gibbs, Mrs. Gibbs, George Gibbs, Rebecca Gibbs  The Webb Family: Mr. Webb, Mrs. Webb, Wally Webb, Emily Webb  Joe Crowell, Howie Newsome, Simon Stimson, Mrs. Soames, Constable Warren, Si Crowell  Professor Willard, Woman in the balcony, Man in the auditorium, Lady in the box, Three baseball players, Sam Craig, Joe Stoddard

 On a cold January morning, a man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin.  He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.  It was rush hour when thousands of people go through the station, most of them on their way to work.

 Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, stopped for a few seconds, then hurried on to keep his schedule.  A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman walking by threw the money in his case, without stopping.  A few minutes after that, a man leaned against the wall to listen to him, looked at his watch, and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

 A 3 year-old boy paid the most attention. His mother hurried him along, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. As the mother led him away, the child walked with his head craned.  This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.  In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace.  He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

 This violinist was Joshua Bell; one of the best musicians in the world.  He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.  Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston, the average seat going for $100.

 Joshua Bell’s incognito performance in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people.  The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?  One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the some of the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

 Do you have time to appreciate beauty around you? Why or why not? Explain.  Describe your morning routine.  What are the ‘little things’ that you look forward to? Explain.