18 Apr 2022 ASU-Beebe presents classic play

BEEBE — Arkansas State University-Beebe Theatre Department will present Thornton Wilder’s most renowned and frequently performed play, Our Town, April 21-23 at the Owen Center Theatre on the ASU-Beebe campus. Performances will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday; 7 p.m. on Friday; and 2 or 7 p.m. on Saturday. 

First produced and published in 1938, this Pulitzer Prize–winning drama of life in the small village of Grover’s Corners has become an American classic. Our Town opens with the Stage Manager’s introduction to Grover’s Corners, a fictional town based in New Hampshire.  

The main characters include the Stage Manager (narrator), George Gibbs, Emily Webb, Dr. Gibbs, Mrs. Gibbs, Mr. Webb, Mrs. Webb, Mrs. Soames, Simon Stimson, Rebecca Gibbs, Wally Webb, Howie Newsome, Joe Crowell, Jr., Si Crowell, Professor Willard, Constable Warren, Sam Craig and Joe Stoddard.  

Ryan Gibbons, Assistant Professor of Communications and Theatre, stated, “A recent article in The Guardianidentified Our Town as ‘America’s answer to Shakespeare.’ Possibly the most performed play in U.S. history, Our Town has endured because of its ability to transcend the subject of small-town America at the turn of the 20th century, and instead grapple with the larger complexities of life in any century. Our Town is about nothing and everything all at the same time. Come and enjoy a slice of life that may remind you of what’s important in your life today.” 

Doors will open 30 minutes before each showtime at the ASU-Beebe Owen Center Theater, located on the Beebe campus at 1102 W. College Street. For more information about ASU-Beebe programs, call 501.882.3600, or visit asub.edu.