CCBC Catonsville Presents OUR TOWN, Beginning 3/14

Academic Theatre at CCBC Catonsville celebrates the 75th anniversary of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Our Town for its spring production. A classic American play, Our Town explores the ordinary but rather pleasant lives of the community in the fictional town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire. Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. March 14, 15 and 16; 3 p.m., March 16 and 17; 10 a.m. March 18 (SOLD OUT) and 1 p.m. March 19 (Nearly sold out) in the Q Theatre at CCBC Catonsville, 800 South Rolling Road, 21228. Tickets are extremely limited for all performances and reservations are strongly encouraged. Tickets, which are $8 general admission and $5 for senior, students, CCBC faculty, staff and alumni, are available online at http://www.ccbcmd.edu/performingarts/actheatre.html or from the CCBC Box Office at 443-840-ARTS (2787).

Wilder's Our Town is an allegory of life and the audience is shepherded through its journey by The Stage Manager (Yasha Langer of Owings Mills), an all-knowing character, who introduces the story and acts as narrator. In Act One, The Daily Life, we meet Dr. Gibbs (Andrew Wilkin of Windsor Mill), the town doctor, his wife Mrs. Gibbs (Megan Morfe of Parkville), their son George Gibbs (Gregory Wishon of Dundalk), and their next-door neighbors, the newspaper owner Mr. Webb (Brian Horshaw of Catonsville), his wife Mrs. Webb (Naomi Steven of Catonsville), their daughter Emily Webb (Morgan Phillips of Catonsville), along with other townspeople. Act Two, Love and Marriage, occuring three years later, reveals the love affair between George and Emily and culminates in a moving wedding scene. In Act Three, Death and Eternity, occurs nine years later, we learn that Emily has died in childbirth but gets permission to go back and relive one day of her life. She chooses her 12th birthday but becomes tormented by the beauty and transience of everyday life and demands to be taken back to settle in among the dead souls.

Other featured roles include: Mrs. Soames (Tonya Wright of Baltimore), Simon Stimpson (Aaron Hancock of Catonsville), Rebecca Gibbs/Jo Stoddard (Louanna Doll of Catonsville), Wally Webb (Heraldo Jordan of Catonsville, Howie Newsome (Mike Valentine of Randallstown), Joe Crowell (Malcolm McKnight of Brooklyn), Si Crowell/Sam Craig (Hayden Muller of Baltimore), Professor Willard (Liz Drury of Ellicott City), and Constable Warren (Jill Scott of Glen Burnie).

CCBC Theatre Assistant Professor Ryan Clark directs. Set and lighting design are by G. Maurice Moe Conn with costumes created by James J. Fasching. Kanwal Rehman is the production stage manager. Bill Lunner is the costume shop assistant, Devin McKay serves assistant stage manager and Danae Henry was in the stage crew.