Our Town

Our Town

Our Town is a 1938 three-act play written by Thornton Wilder.

Fast Facts

Writer: Thornton Wilder
Setting: Grover's Corners
Premiere Date: 1938
Adaptations: Numerous films (1940-2000s)
Awards: 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Takes place between 1901 and 1930
First performed at Princeton University's McCarter Theater
One of the most performed plays of the 20th century

Synopsis

The Stage Manager opens the play by describing daily life in Grover's Corners, as well as a few of its key residents--most notably Emily and her friend George. A future romance is hinted at between the two and is later realized in the second act when the two marry on a rainy day a few years later.

The third act reveals that Emily died while delivering her first child. Unknown to those attending her funeral, the deceased Emily is looking upon them from her grave. She has granted one day to relive and soon comes to realize how fleeting life is.

Emily says goodbye to Grover's Corners and its people, leaving the Stage Manager to close the play by recommending that the audience live each day to its fullest.

Characters

Stage Manager - Narrator
Emily Webb - Main character
George Gibbs - Emily's husband
Myrtle Webb - Emily's mom
Charles Webb - Emily's dad
Julia Gibbs - George's mother
Dr. Frank F. Gibbs - George's father

Categories

Writing | Plays | English | Literature | Dramatic Studies | Theater

| View Note History

The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: Our Town
Google Book Search: Our Town Online Excerpt
PBS: Masterpiece Theatre: Our Town
Gainsville Art Council: Our Town Study Guide
The New York Times: In an Ordinary Place, a Playwright Found the Eternal (December 1, 2002)
Film Movement: OT: Our Town
Brightcove Video: Our Town (1940 Film) (Time: 1:29:39)

Our Town Synopsis

Philippine Culture: Our Town Synopsis and Review
New York Times:Our Town Synopsis
National Players: Our Town Synopsis
eNotes: Our Town Summary

Our Town Study Guides

Cummings Study Guides: Our Town Study Guide
eNotes: Our Town Summary and Study Guide
BookRags: Our Town Study Guide
PinkMonkey.com: Our Town Study Guide
Cliff Notes: Our Town Study Guide

Our Town Criticism and Reviews

New York Times: Essay: "The Genius of Grover's Corners" (2007)
Baltimore City Paper: Our Town Critical Review
eNotes: Our Town Criticism
Curtain Up: Our Town Critical Review
Indiana University: Opera in Our Town
Talkin' Broadway: "Moving Our Town, but Why Puppets?" (2007)

Our Town - Quotations

SparkNotes: Our Town Important Quotations Explained
Web English Teacher: Our Town Identifying Quotes
John Pearson: Our Town Memorable Quotes
IMDb: Our Town Memorable Film Quotes

Our Town in Performance

1944: Our Town
1989: Our Town
2002: Our Town on Broadway
2003: Our Town
2006: Our Town (Opera)
2007-2008: Our Town

Our Town in TV and Films

Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

Our Town Author Information

The Thornton Wilder Society: Thornton Wilder Biography and Works
Wikipedia: Thornton Wilder Biography
Books and Writers: Thornton Wilder Profile
SparkNotes: Our Town Context: Including Thornton Wilder Biography

Our Town Images and Videos

Google Image Search: Our Town Images
Yahoo! Image Search: Our Town Images
IMDb: OT: Our Town - Photos
YouTube & Google Video: Our Town Search
YouTube: Our Town Arts Canterbury Production Trailer (Time: 03:12)

Our Town Influences and Culture

On Point: Audio Discussion on Our Town
The Library of Congress: Our Town Exhibit Highlights
Drury Drama Team: Our Town by Thornton Wilder (1992)
Culture Vulture.net: Our Town Thornton Wilder (2004)

Our Town Merchandise

Related Pages on Mahalo

Thornton Wilder | Pulitzer Prize Winning Plays | Grovers Corners | family | New Hampshire | Pulitzer Prize | MacDowell Colony | Carpe Diem | Afterlife | Paul Newman | Frank Sinatra

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