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