Closing Night

I've rehearsed, opened, and closed dozens of plays in my life. After a while, they seem to blend together. At least, most of them do. In fact there have been a few times when I have to think for a minute in order to recall a character's name, or a playwright. But every once in a while, a play comes a long that is simply a blessing to be a part of. Our Town has been that for me.

Ironically, this play is the one show this season that I was not looking forward to. I had read the play before and was bored to tears. I simply just didn't get it. The only thing I was excited about was that it was going to be done in the round (or 3/4 rather) and I was excited to experience that. But, contrary to my expectations, Our Town has become one of the greatest theatrical experiences of my life.

I think there are several reasons for this. For one, the play is just simply brilliant. It isn't an exciting read, that's for sure. But it plays just beautifully on stage. The characters are written so well. And the situations are heartbreaking, to say the least. The show is poignant and easily touches the hearts of the audience members.

It also helps to be directed by someone that I  can easily connect with artistically. Todd and I have very similar approaches to acting and directing. I understood his vision from the beginning, which made the end result easier to reach. Along with a great director, the cast is just as incredible. we have a great variety of actors on that stage. There are actors in the show that have never been on stage before along side actors who have degrees in theatre. It was amazing to see the experienced actors reach out and lift up those that needed help, and to see the newbies bring in fresh life to the program.

I have a relatively small role in this play. Though my character is on stage often, he does not do much emotionally or dramatically. I think this was a blessing though. Because I didn't have much to work on character wise, I could focus my attention on creating believable relationships on stage. I also had the opportunity to sit back and observe the journey that the other actors went on.

I was (and am) simply amazed to see the leaps and bounds the actors took in the show. Especially Bethany Gilmore and Isaac Jones, who play Emily and George. The experience of seeing a young actor truly feeling  and emotion on stage is chilling. These are two very talented actors. Each of them, in their own way, create such believable emotion! It is heartbreaking to watch and an utter joy to act with them.

Through this journey, I watched as this piece touched lives. It reaches the audience each night. I like to think that they exit the theatre with opened eyes. But even more importantly, it touched the lives of the actors. I think each member of the cast will walk away from this show a better artist than when he or she went into it.

I cannot express how proud I am of this production. It is a testament to me that theatre does not have to have bright lights, gorgeous sets, and beautiful costumes in order to reach out and grab the hearts of it's viewers. All it takes is a group of people who love the art and love each other.

Being in theatre is, simply put, making magic.



Bethany Gilmour, Scott Westwood and Isaac Jones in Our Town