Our Town is a play by American writer Thornton Wilder that ranks among the most popular of all American dramas. Our Town opened in 1938 and won the Pulitzer Prize for drama for that year. It has since become one of the most frequently revived American plays by both professional and amateur groups.
Our Town describes life in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, from 1901 to 1913. The play is divided into three acts. The first act is called “Daily Life,” the second is called “Love and Marriage,” and the third, which has no formal title, is about death. The central characters are George and Emily, childhood sweethearts who marry. Emily later dies in childbirth and joins the other dead in the town cemetery.
Part of the play’s popularity comes from its original staging. There is no curtain and no scenery. The actors use a few chairs and other props on an otherwise bare stage. A homespun philosopher called the Stage Manager narrates the action, talking to the audience in a folksy manner. The play celebrates the simple joys and sorrows of everyday existence. It points out that the living often fail to appreciate life and that they should enjoy every waking moment to its fullest. Our Town was adapted into a 1940 motion picture starring William Holden and Martha Scott.
