Small Strokes Big Oaks

Image from http://thebroadstage.com/Our-Town

The first show I ever directed was Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. I was living in a small community, much different than the suburban sprawl where I grew up and the urban pulse of the city I frequented, so I found it a fitting representation of the community in which I was teaching and directing. Even growing up, though, Our Town resonated with me in many different ways. It was the favorite play of one of the best teachers I’ve ever had, and I found the themes totally pertinent to life in general, regardless of the time period or area in which you lived. Also, I had the best students ever on my cast that year, so, needless to say, I loved directing that play.

I decided to go with a typical cast and typical, period costuming because it was my first show, and I wasn’t ready to get all artsy and creative yet, but I do believe the show could be transplanted in any time period, in any place, and with any combination of characters and still retain its core theme – that life is special and exciting and important, even when lived simply.

So when I saw this article on the Ms. Magazine blog about Helen Hunt playing the Stage Manager – a character that more or less narrates the show and is usually portrayed by an older, grey-haired man – I was really excited. From the article:

Whereas in most productions the narrating Stage Manager, speaking from a position of privilege, takes for granted that the values of Grover’s Corners are the ultimate American values, Hunt, without judgment, gives it to us the way it was. She does not pontificate or eulogize, she presents the town and its inhabitants and allows the audience to form their own opinions about this particular version of Amerca’s past. Her straightforward delivery, combined with the fact she is a woman telling the story, transforms the narrative from a given to a question.

Let’s get a checklist of the awesomeness that is this show, shall we?: Bringing a classic play to life with a new twist? Check. Subverting gender norms by using a female stage manager? Check. Giving that stage manager power over the events of the town we see unfold before us on stage? Check. Turning the narrative of the show into a question rather than a statement about the past? Check.

In short, I love the idea. And I just wanted to share it with you all.

Subverting gender norms and questioning the way in which classic literature is portrayed and studied is always a good idea. Always.

To close, check out a short video of Helen Hunt playing the stage manager from http://thebroadstage.com/Our-Town:

Our Town from The Broad Stage on Vimeo.