Fall Play Preview: Our Town

The theatre season at Bethany commenced last Monday, with auditions starting off the week, followed by callbacks and casting. This year’s show is Our Town, by Thornton Wilder. It was published in 1938, and since then,  it has acquired popularity. The play is known as “The Great American Play” because it charts out the daily lives of two American families living in a small town and going about daily life.

This three act play has a simple set, but far from simple themes. Narrated by a character known as the Stage Manager, the audience is led through the lives of the Webb and Gibbs families. The action primarily focuses on George Gibbs and Emily Webb, who, throughout the play, discover values about life, love, and ultimately death and what comes after. Common themes of the play include slowing down, and appreciating life while you have it.

When asked what she was looking forward to the most about this play Talashia Keim Yoder, the producer of this year’s show, wrote, “This is my favorite play. Its themes are universal and timeless, and I learn more from it at each different stage of my life. In this production, we will be highlighting the theme of slowing down and appreciating life, which seems very relevant in today’s increasingly fast-paced culture.”

This American classic will be a great start to the theatre season! The show dates are November 18th, 19th, and 20th. The cast list for this show is as follows:

Cast

Stage Manager: Leah Beachey

Dr. Gibbs: Philip Krabill

Mrs. Gibbs: Elizabeth Eby

George: Gavin Rusel

Rebecca: Emma Bontrager

Mr. Webb: Dustin Miller

Mrs. Webb: Sarah Leininger

Emily: Gabriella Klopfenstein

Wally: Sam Ostergren

Howie Newsome: Skylar Yoder

Joe/Simon Crowell: Jonah Hochstetler

Simon Stimson: Daniel Robles

Constable Warren: Nathan Oostland

Mrs. Soames: Abby Rudy-Froese

Joe Stoddard: Madison Swartzendruber

Sam Craig: Lucas Klopfenstein

Professor Willard: Joel Yoder

The Town:

Derick Masatu (Mr. Carter)

Jiwoo Wi (Woman Among the Dead, Sound effect leader)

Christian Yoder (Man Among the Dead)

Luisa Dutchersmith

Sasha Dyck

Sarah Hochstetler

 Sid Hostetler

Clara Lind

Mariah Miller

Emma Thomas

 

Crew

Stage Manager (SM): Sofia Thomas

Assistant Stage Manager (ASM): Rachel Leininger

House Manager: Hannah Kaethler

Costume/Hair/Makeup: Carissa Woolace (head), CJ Zmudzinski, Sierra Campbell, Sydney Bradford, Simia Yoder, Sadie Kozlowski, Olivia Lapadat, Hannah Kaethler

Dramaturgy: Skylar Yoder (head), Christian Yoder, Clara Lind, Sasha Dyck, Luisa Dutchersmith, Joel Yoder

Lights: Simon Hurst

Booth Assistant: Olivia Lapadat