Our Town free essay sample

The name of the play is called, Our Town 2. The author is Thornton Wilder 3. SFSU Department of Theatre Arts 4. Little Theatre 5. Watched the play on March 17th, at 2:00pm 6. Ticket price cost $12. 00, purchased through online website 7. Sat in Row D, Seat 2. Front right section of theatre 8. Shared experience with a classmate, both agreed it was a great play that involved the quality of life. III. Plot The play, Our Town, is defined as a playwright, which involved physical action and representing the externals of human behavior. The play in general contains little action in order to support the theme of the play, which is narrated by the, Stage Manager. The inciting incident in the play is when George Gibbs falls in love with Emily Webb and then get married. The major conflicts of the play consists of those living in Grovers Corner and not appreciating life. Another conflict is when Emily dies, she wants to return to her previous life, and ignoring the consequences given by the dead. We will write a custom essay sample on Our Town or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Our Towns climactic incident would be Emilys death after childbirth and joining her relatives/friends in the cemetery, she then relives her original life and realizes how precious life is and cannot take it for granted. ( Act III). The denouement of the play is when Emily realizes that the dead were right about the living. She begs to come back to the gravesite after experiencing the living is quite depressing. IV. Theme The meaning of the play is to cherish every moment we have on earth, not taking life for granted because we are not granted a second chance in life. V. Characters The protagonist is the small group of people who live in Grovers Corner that take life for granted, but are also their own antagonist, casually going about life and not appreciating the small things life offers. The Stage Manager, can be labeled as a narrator, someone who orchestrates the play before each scene. He can also be labeled as a protagonist, who speaks directly to the audience and at times can have a contemplative tone and also takes part in a few scenes throughout the play. Simon Stimson can be labeled as a foil, a troubled alcoholic who lives in Grovers Corner who ends up committing suicide, someone who is troubled and doesnt care about the quality of life. (Act II). VI. Literary Quality or Diction The language used in Our Town is dialogue, which runs pretty smoothly throughout the play. There is also a use of poetic imagery which allows the audience to picture what the character is emphasizing, when speaking. The play did have a lot of different figures of speech, ranging from an older version of our language and resembling language used in the early 20th century. VII. Music and Musicality The Stage manager, although not labeled as a type of music, he introduced each scene which a clear voice and dialogue, being able to understand what he says, gives the audience a sense of what is coming next. (Act 1, Scene 1). The clear voices and emotions for each character really helped me understand what the overall feeling toward each scene was. VIII. Spectacle The staging format for Our Town was a bit odd, with no fourth wall in the play, being able to visualize the important parts of the play is important to me so this was a first. The designing of the background during each scene, the sound of characters, lighting, and costumes used in the play really emphasized the overall quality. The sound designs was another aspect of the play, which I thought played a huge impact. Being able to know what type of emotion each scene is representing. For example, Emily dying after childbirth was a huge part of the play, the sound and emotion during that scene made it very sad. ( Act III). In Our Town, the play emphasized great scenery throughout the play, as well as, costume designs. Thanks to Allison Mortimer and Sara Pruter, It showed great detail to the structure of the play, allowing the audience to fully grasp the vibe of the play from beginning to end. Using certain shapes of materials and color helped the audience understand the scenery of the play, being able to understand what time period this took place. The lighting through the play was great, being able to clearly see in detail for each scene. For example, when the Stage manager introduces the people in Grovers Corner, is was clear and easy to see what type of life style they live. Grisel Torres did an excellent job with the angles, colors, and shadows throughout the play, really emphasizing the emotion and lighting for each scene. Allison Mortimer, the costume designer, did a good job figuring out what each character should wear and allowing the audience to decide which class each character fits in society. The costumes looked like they were somewhat middle class and even looked vintage at times. I wasnt sure if they were recreated or not. Changing costumes for different scenes made it easier to understand the aspect of the scene and allowing the audience to understand what will happen. IX. Convention The Stage Manager, which is known to the narrator, also shows up in many different scenes as a character. For example, he comes into a scene as Mr. Morgan the drugstore owner who serves ice cream to Emily and George. The play had a lot of objects that were not presently there, the characters did their best trying to symbolize what it would be like using those objects. An example, would be Mr. Morgan ( Stage manager ) pretending to make ice cream for Emily and George, in which, the ice cream is not really there, just using imaginary objects. X. Acting and Directing The actor playing George Gibbs had to emphasize his emotions for love and marriage in the play. George who is a baseball star that lives his life in the dark. George is then haunted when Emily dies and is confused on how to live his life without her. The emotions the actor had to convey was excellent, remembering that hes acting as a character in the play, not as himself. Danny Ford, who played George had to use his emotions and thought to emphasize the quality of the character. Actors acting from the outside have to learn from different sources, being able to practice their behavior and emotions for certain characters they will play. Even learning technical things will help incorporate their skills into becoming a better character within the play. Xi. Outstanding Moment I think the most outstanding moment in the play is when after Emily dies from childbirth, she then joins the dead souls in the cemetery,(Our Town) . She returns to relive a day in her past, which makes her realize how life is fragile and those living take it for granted. It showed that people need to appreciate life and love every moment of it, because tomorrow is not guaranteed. XII. The Event as Theatre Indeed, Our Town is defined as a theatre. Since Act 1 (Our Town), it was evident that this was a play defined as a theatre, with its costume design, with the work of art. People impersonating characters in the play, changing their emotions, tone, and dialect. Performance was also involved in this play, for example, The Stage manager, speaking to the audience, delivering the message of the scene. The people acted like they would in real life, but as the character in the play. XIII. Summary After watching Our Town I learned that life is fragile and you need to appreciate life everyday because tomorrow is never promised. Life experiences and choices that we make everyday will determine our future. Our Towns major parts is when George and Emily get married and then Emily dies after giving birth, which is the low point of the play. When Emily was alive she didnt appreciate life as much. She visits the dead and wants to go back to the real world, but she then realizes she doesnt want to go back after reliving a day in her past. This shows how you cannot take life for granted and you need to enjoy everyday like its your last. Appreciating what you have and always expand your horizons.