November 6, 7, & 8, 2009
at the Colmery-O'Neil VA Medical Center Auditorium

Directed and designed by
Mark Radziejeski

THE CAST
(in order of appearance) 
SIMON STIMSON - CORBIN EAKES
LADIES OF THE TOWN
ANN BALDRIDGE, COREY COCHRAN
CAROLINE CRAWFORD, MARYA FELDT
SARAH FLETCHER, ANNE GARDINER
KATIE SCHIEFERECKE
STAGE MANAGER - MR. TRAVIS LAMB
DR. GIBBS - MATT HAMEL *
JOE CROWEL -  JOHN GOOTEE-SCHAFERS
HOWIE NEWSOM - AARON BROXTERMAN *
MRS. GIBBS - SARA STUEVE *
MRS. WEBB - BECKY SCHIFERECKE *
GEORGE GIBBS - ANDY GROLLMES
REBECCA GIBBS - SARA SPICER *
WALLY WEBB - JOSEPH GOOTEE-SCHAFERS *
EMILY WEBB - BAILEY OSSELLO *
PROFESSOR WILLARD - WILL QUANEY
MR. WEBB - JOSH WITT *
WOMAN IN THE BALCONY - SARAH FLETCHER
WOMAN IN THE AUDITORIUM - NICOLE ELWOOD
LADY IN THE BOX - KATIE SCHIEFERECKE
MRS. SOAMES - LAUREN SHOEMAKER
CONSTABLE WARREN - ANDREW GAFFNEY
SI CROWEL -  JACKSON SCHRICKEL
BASEBALL PLAYERS
JOHN GOOTEE-SCHAFERS, JACKSON SCHRICKEL
MIKE QUANEY
SAM CRAIG - WILL QUANEY
JOE STODDARD - MIKE QUANEY
1st DEAD WOMAN - NICOLE ELWOOD
2nd DEAD WOMAN - SARAH FLETCHER
3rd DEAD WOMAN - COREY COCHRAN
1st DEAD MAN - JACKSON SCHRICKEL​
* indicates member of International Thespian Troupe #7275

PRODUCTION STAFF 
STAGE MANAGER - ABBY HAMEL *
TECHNICAL ASSISTANT - BROCK SHEERN
SET CONSTRUCTION - MARYA FELDT, SARAH FLETCHER,
ANNE GARDINER, BAILEY OSSELLO*, WILL QUANEY, SARA STUEVE *
LIGHTING - SARAH KEFFER *
SOUND EFFECTS - MARIAH TRUPP
SOUND REINFORCEMENT - LAUREN SPAIN *, TYLER TOELKES
COSTUMES - LILLIAN HYDE, LARA SHUFFLEBARGER,
MARIAH VALDIVIA
MAKEUP - LAUREN GRIMES*, LILLIAN HYDE, LIZ OLSEN
LARA SHUFFELBARGER, MARIAH VALDIVIA
HOUSE MANAGEMENT - SARAH KEFFER *
USHERs - JORDAN CALDERWOOD, MELISSA VEGA
PROGRAM COVER ART - JOSEPH GOOTEE SCHAFERS *
* indicates member of International Thespian Troupe #7275

DIRECTOR’S NOTE 
“Our claim, our hope, our despair are in the mind – not in things, not in scenery.” - Thornton Wilder
Year after year, Our Town ranks in the top ten list of the most produced plays in high school theaters in the United States.  This is surprising, because Our Town is a most difficult play to direct. 
According to the script, the play is to be performed with little scenery, no set and few props. Wilder was dissatisfied with the theatre of his time. He felt that “something had gone wrong” with contemporary theater.  He began to feel that the theatre was not only inadequate but “evasive.” His answer was to have the characters mime the objects with which they interact. Their surroundings are created only with chairs, tables, and ladders.  This can pose great difficulty for young actors who must “make real” many actions that are quite foreign to their experience.
Our Town's narrator, the Stage Manager, is unlike most theatrical roles.  He is completely aware of his relationship with the audience, which leaves him free to break the fourth wall and address them directly.  Together with the overwhelming number of lines, this role is extremely difficult for even a professional actor.
The overall style of the play is not “representational” but “presentational.”  The play is set in the fictional community of Grover's Corners, but this is really only the canvas upon which we, the audience, paint, with our own memories, experiences and feelings.
Directing this play has been a journey shared with the young people you see on stage this evening.  Together we have discovered much about ourselves and each other.  I hope that this production will lead you to discover something about yourself as well.