Our Town

The show will run from May 9 through May 25 at the Dairy Arts Center. Featuring an outstanding cast of veteran and first-time players, this production promises to captivate audiences. For twenty-five years, VIVA Theater has been a cornerstone of the Boulder arts community, presenting performances that celebrate the talents of older adults. This production continues that tradition, highlighting the rich life experiences that make Our Town resonate across generations.

Our Town, widely regarded as one of the most iconic American plays, was first performed in 1938 and has since become a staple of theater worldwide. Writer Edward Albee famously referred to it as “the greatest American play every written.” The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama explores the lives of the residents of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire from 1901 to 1913, focusing on the coming-of-age story of Emily, a young girl who experiences love, marriage, and the inevitability of death. It’s three themes—Daily Life, Love & Marriage, and Death and Eternity—have created some of the most memorable scenes in American Theater.

The play’s minimalist set, designed to evoke what Wilder called “the life of a village set against the life of the stars,” allows the rich emotional depth of the characters and the story to take center stage. The action is narrated by a person known only as the Stage Manager. The deceptively simple structure of Our Town veils the profound question at its heart: What is it to be a human being during our short time on Earth. Moving, universal and complex, the play reminds us of our shared humanity.

Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) remains the only writer to win Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction (The Bridge of San Luis Rey) and drama (Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth). In addition to The Matchmaker, which was adapted into the beloved musical Hello, Dolly!, Wilder’s extensive body of work includes novels, short plays, a screenplay, and more. Wilder’s many accolades include the Gold Medal for Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“Most people first encounter this play in high school,” says director Abigail Wright. “In our production, instead of casting kids to portray older adults, we are casting older adults to play kids. In this way we are bringing decades of life experience to the play’s characters. This adds another dimension to what is already a funny, penetrating, deep drama.”

Don’t miss VIVA Theater’s unforgettable production of Our Town!