Time is essence

Thornton Wilder’s Our Town is three acts dedicated to the dynamics of the city life in America. I absolutely love this play. It is so moving and teaches us all an important lesson. This play truly shows how to appreciate life, and not let it get by you before it is over. To take opportunity, and control ones like and just love to live was the message I got. Wilder really showed interest and made a point on two important things: relationships and time. Already discussing how time can steal life away from us, it also shows how all people take it for granted. Also, Seeing how this play was written in the 1930’s, it is amazing to see all the things that have carried over into this generation. such as in David Kelley’s television drama Picket Fences or the interactions between characters in Stephen King’s Needful Things. This play was so well written, always keeping me on edge and wondering what happened next. My favorite part of this production is just the simple fact that it has a valuable message sent out, and this message can be applied to everyone. 

Simple

I don't know. I liked this play, but at the same time I did not. It's weird. It did not have the usual drama or action or anything like that which is what I usually like and am used to. It was simple. I guess it threw me off a little because everything else we have read so far has had so much drama in it. This is was just so random to me. Anyway, at the same time I did like it because it was simple. There were no dramatic problems. It was just the way life went. The play was literally slice of life. We saw slices of these townsfolk's lives, and I liked. I realize that I am repeating myself, but I do not really have a good explanation for it. it was simple, but it still had meaning. The meaning was just to appreciate life more. However, it was not an over the top you must go out there and live your life to the fullest. It was a simple "hey you should be happy your alive" type of meaning. At least to me it was which was really nice. I was never a fan of things throwing their meaning into your face. I am a fan of subtlety.

Also, can I say that the stage manager is awesome? He was just so chill through the whole deal, and was just so natural. I also really liked how he filled in for other characters which amused me, and then became a character himself. He just seemed to flow and make the whole thing work. He also came off as a nice guy which is always a plus. He was down to earth, chill, and helpful. he was definitely my favorite hands down.

There's something way down deep that's eternal about every human being.

Thornton Wilder’s Our Town is three acts dedicated to the dynamics of rural America. Having been written in the 1930s, it is impressive to find a similar account of small town society as it is portrayed in modern times, such as in David Kelley’s television drama Picket Fences or the interactions between characters in Stephen King’s Needful Things. Grover’s Corners, the setting of the play, is a small town in the Northeast, filled with Republicans and Protestant Christians. I found it interesting to note that more of the town was indifferent to politics than religion, demonstrating the mentality that matters of faith are more important than government operations or reforms. The play also explores the theme of attraction, with the highly ambitious Emily falling in love with the risk-taking George. The underlying sexism is important, as demonstrated when Joe Crowell expresses his distaste at the idea of his teacher getting married or by the fact that George is elected President while the more academically-advanced Emily must accept the title of Secretary/Treasurer. The meta-theatrical element of Our Town can be seen in the character of the Stage Manager, whose multiple incarnations and ability to command other characters give him an almost God-like presence. I was thrilled when the Stage Manager gave me permission to go have a smoke at the end of Act I. Overall, Our Town reinforces an appreciation for life through its depiction of Emily and her short, yet happy, life and also through anecdotes concerning Joe Crowell and Wally Webb.

Time is of the essence

The structure and setting of Our Town was quite different from the other plays we have read in class being that the time span of the play covers years of experiences. I enjoyed the fact that it showed major milestones that occur in life and how quickly those moments pass us by. As humans we usually have no respect for time . This play helps the reader realize that all time is of the essence and that we should FEEL and embrace every moment and memory that were create in life because once it's gone , it's gone no turning back. I feel as if life is a much more enjoyable experience when we embrace each and every moment whether good or bad.

Our Town

I absolutely love this play. It is so moving and teaches us all an important lesson. I suppose I love this play so much because I fully believe in living life to the fullest and not letting opportunities just pass you by. I found the acts to be very nicely organized. The first act is about early life, the second about finding love and getting married, and the last about death. There is something so touching about the way Emily reflects on her life. Life is short and you really have to seize and appreciate every moment. I love stories that deal with appreciating life and inspire you to live to the fullest. I found a similar theme in the musical Rent: by the end of the story you realize that one of the most important things is to live for today and cherish your friends. We all need to realize that we do not have forever and we need to make the most of the time we have on earth. I truly love this play because appreciating life is something that is very important to me. This play emphasizes how important friendships and relationships are and how we must appreciate the people in our lives. Fun fact: My high school yearbook senior quote was "There's only us, there's only this; Forget regret or life is yours to miss. No other road, no other way, no day but today" :) Haha. Carpe Diem!

Victims of Time

I absolutely loved this play. There is nothing more important in life for everyone to understand that we are not immortal and that time goes by. We have a deadline and it's important to build relationships and enjoy what time has give us. Even though time throughout the play was a villain, it was a gracious one. Wilder did such a unique job writing this script.
I loved the role of the stage manager as he played the time keeper, but reached out the audience every chance he could. I also liked how the play was separated in three acts according to stages in life: daily life, love and marriage, and death.
Wilder capitalized on two important things: relationships and time. Already discussing how time can rob us of life, it also shows how all people take it for granted. After reading this, I was intensely nostalgic. As for relationships, every character formed one with another character. Be it neighborly friends, marriage, friends, school mates, or the milkman; their whole lives depended on the companionship of one another and to maintain that friendship.
At the end of reading, I bet everyone can agree that there is just something so timeless about this whole play.

Wilder's Wake Up Call.

I love this play!!! I like how it stereotypes our lives, and brings to light how  people just take it for granted, and just " go with the flow". Wilder sort of screams: wake up! He does so through Emily's character. in fact, the last act was my favorite. Emily philosophizes about life so greatly, and her love for it is sooo passionate, that she refuses to forget it. She is also talking about how life should be valued. I liked how the Stage Manager answered  her question of if humans appreciate their life while they are living, that only saints and poets do a little. It is very sad, but veeeeery true. The valuing and living the life to the fullest makes me recall Waiting for Gadot. I think Beckett there also wanted to wake people up from passive surviving, always waiting for something that would make their life better. But Gadot, what ever he may be, never comes; so the characters just wasted all the time they were waiting. In Our  Town Emily dies at an early age, and only then she realizes everything she had done wrong : she let her life just pass by in vain. This truly is a great play, that has definitely become my favorite this semester.

Out Town

I found Our Town to be a very interesting an intriguing read. I found that there were so many themes within the plot that caught my attention. There were many instances where I found myself analyzing the relationship between the characters and the message that the playwright is striving to portray. I think that one of the most important motifs mentioned is the importance of relationships between humanity. Even from the beginning of the play, the Stage Manager seeks to establish a relationship with the audience. The play’s titles assess the importance of community and companionship. I loved the fact that Wilder does uses the theatre in a realistic manner. Many of the scenes portrayed in the play are moments that would occur in real life: a milk man delivers milk, a family breakfast, two people fall in love. However, I found it interesting that the author sought to disconnect the audience from the theatre so that the message of the play would be ore prevalent.