PACT Production: Our Town

The PACT plays are directed by Maryanna Walton, a teacher here at PACT. She has recently begun directing the PACT plays and has directed them for two years since she took it over. They practice and perform at Northgate and it took about 8 weeks to prepare. This year they did Our Town.

Our Town is a compelling story about the simple life of living in a small town. It reveals the lives of the ordinary town called Grover’s Corners taking place from 1899 to 1913. Within the story, it reveals the importance of overlooked life events such as marriage, birth, love, and death.

At the beginning, the narrator talks about twins being born at the early hours of the day and some townsfolk converse and gossip about insignificant things. It then goes on to tell a story of a boy and girl that go through their lives together, falling in love and growing older. Their families getting older and slower and the small, seemingly unimportant changes of life. At the end, it talks about death and how the seemingly unimportant days add up to what makes it whole. Their lives passing by without them giving it a thought.

Similar to any play, props are necessary to add to the story and make it more real, but sometimes props can clutter the stage and be a hassle to change throughout. They can also draw attention away from the story and distract the audience. According to Mrs. Walton, Thornton Wilder, the author of Our town, wanted very few props and set pieces as to not distract the audience and have them pay close attention to the details of the story rather than small details with props.

People should expect something when they go to a play. When asked what people should get out of this play, Mrs. Walton said “I wouldn’t call it mundane, but it does not have the energy of our play last spring.” she continued by saying “Don’t be surprised if you shed a tear or laugh out loud.” The cast also told what they got out of the story and what the audience should get out of the play. Victoria Heiberg said that “it depends on how you look at it. If you look for deeper meaning you'll get what you want to get out of it. It may seem like there’s not much going on but if you look at it differently you'll see a deeper story. There’s more to it than you think.”

Students that participate in these plays don’t necessarily want to be in them for the practice but for other reasons. They want to do it for other reasons such as building friendships, better speech skills, and a way to relax. Maddie Vooge said, “I wanted to get over my fear of performing in front of people.” Although you're in front of many people it’s not the same pressure as giving a speech because you’re a whole other character Victoria Heiberg said.

If someone is wondering whether or not they should do it they should take some things into consideration. When asked if it’s recommended to try the cast said “Definitely.” Victoria Heiberg said “I highly recommend especially if you have stage fright.” and Bethany Flaten said, “It’s fun and a good way to get involved and Mrs. Walton is good at helping people get better so if someone wants to improve they should try it.”

“If they're interested, go ahead.”

PACT shows a different play every year. The process can take some time though since it has to be approved by the school and there are many other considerations Mrs. Walton has to make in choosing it. She has to look for plays with about 20 characters and they have to be able to be performed in a small space since the Northgate stage has limited space. Mrs. Walton chose this play because she had previous classes read Our Town and said that she wanted to do it as a play at PACT in the future.

People should get some kind of message out of any movie, show, book, play, or any other entertainment of that sort. That’s part of what makes it interesting and enjoyable. The story of Our Town teaches the audience a lesson. The main message it sent is that people need to realize how quickly life passes by and that you need to stop, watch, and appreciate everyone you love. To take a minute to realize it while they live it instead of later when it’s too late to go back and completely appreciate it for what it really was. Mrs. Walton was hopeful that “after the show, people will really find meaningful ways to connect with and appreciate the family and friends in their lives because life is so fleeting.”

Why might people want to teach acting and put on plays? There could be many reasons. Mrs. Walton said she does it because she loves seeing stories come to life. “We see reflections of ourselves in it, and I think that is what makes theater so powerful.” She also said that she liked the experience of working with the talented students.

After the play had finished and the cast bowed the audience was told to slow down and cherish the moment. That’s what Thornton Wilder wanted the audience to think about while writing it. His main goal was to have his audience go home and tell the people they love that they love them.

Although the play was done the way that Thornton Wilder wanted it to be, some might say that the play itself lacked excitement. There were some laughs in between, but some people grew bored. The message was clear but the storyline could have drawn more attention or been more dramatic. If it were more lively the audience would be more interested. However, the cast and Ms Walton made it clear that It wasn’t about the entertainment, but more about the story as a whole. Not every play will have action, sometimes (like the play says) we need to slow down, and just appreciate the small things in life.

Students have enjoyed being a part of the cast. They have gained multiple skills and enjoyed doing something with their friends. PACT will continue doing more plays in the future. Possibly more people will attend and try out.