‘Our Town’ introduces new take on theater

The Metea Theater program opened its spring show ‘Our Town’ last night to a sold out audience. ‘Our Town’, a Pulitzer prize winning drama considered to be a classic, follows the stories of the fictional town of Grover’s Corners.

The drama follows a series of comedies. “A lot of the kids were coming to me asking if they could do a drama, because I’ve done two comedies in a row. I’ve never really directed a drama so I really was kind of wondering ‘Do I go with modern? Do I go with a classic?’ and I eventually picked ‘Our Town’,” Director and Special Education teacher Matt Wolski said. “I actually had to see the show before I was convinced.”

The show features an arrangement that differs from many other shows. “The way we have it set up is that audience is actually on the stage. We have them set up stadium seating style around the stage so the audience is actually facing out into the auditorium,” Wolski said. The small audience and proximity to the stage is to increase the intimacy with the actors. “And there’s really not much of a set, it’s very minimal. We’re pantomiming; there’s no props really.”

The cast of 34 students includes a cast of understudies who will perform for the Saturday matinee show at 2 P.M. and two student assistant directors, seniors Darby Sherwood and Abha Naik. “’Our Town’ is really reflective about life and it’s going to teach you a lot about what matters and how every moment is special,” Naik said.

The show consists of three acts with two ten-minute intermissions, during which strudel and cake are served to the audience.

‘Our Town’ performs tonight at 7 P.M. and tomorrow at 2 P.M. and 7 P.M.