Our Town “It’s Almost Like a Magic Trick”

4^th Wall presents its production of the Thornton Wilder classic

Emily Webb lives in Grover’s Corners. Although she is curious about the world, as a creature of her time, she stays put in the small town where she was born.

She is one of several characters whose everyday lives are portrayed, introduced to audiences by the Stage Manager (Philip Lehl). The set will be minimal, the focus is on the lives of townspeople between 1901 and 1913. This is the Thornton Wilder classic Our Town about to go on stage in a 4^th Wall Theatre Co. production.

Skyler Sinclair who plays Emily says It is a iconic role she has wanted to play for a long time. “I’ve always been fascinated with that character. Because she has to do so much and so simply because if it’s not done simply it’s not honest.”

She sees Emily as a smart, confident, loving daughter and friend who grows as the play progresses, although she never leaves her birthplace.

“There is a wondering about the life outside Grover’s Corners.  However it’s set during a time when leaving a town would be very uncommon especially for a female” she says of Emily.

And while there are more options open today, Sinclair says, there is still an expectation that even if people go away, they will come back to the town they grew up in.

Emily greatly admires her father, Sinclair says.  “I love Mr. Webb because he’s kind and he’s curious. He’s got the qualities that I love about Emily. She learned those from him.

“She’s got a friend  that lived next door and they grew up together and they discovered that they were made for one another. These two characters were soulmates in a sense and that’s been really beautiful to explore and discover.” 

Besides Sinclair and Lehl, other cast members include Elijah Hernandez, Christy Watkins, Kregg Dailey, Faith Fossett, Philip Hays, Christian Tannous, Patricia Duran, Joshua Percy and Ellis Holden. 4^th Wall Artistic Director Jennifer Dean directs.

Asked why this play is so popular and continues to be performed everywhere, Sinclair says:

I think because it’s universal and it transcends time. This play that Wilder has created there is a structure — it’s a play that’s almost like a magic trick.

“He lays everything out so beautifully.  It’s relatable. And as he’s busy doing all of that and laying out everyday life.

The stage manager serves as narrator for the play and brings the audience along with him, she says. “As he’s sketching it out, he’s asking the audience to illustrate it with him.”

“This play has a message that every human being needs to hear because every human being has a life, every human being has loved ones and every human being is going to die.  It asks the audience if you could put a price on your most basic memory of life what would that be. “

Sinclair thinks one of the main messages in this play is: “I have to live in the now  every moment counts because at the end of the day these simple interactions with our loved ones, that’s what’s going to matter.”

“I think people need to see it because now more than ever we need to find value within a community and slowing down and realizing that what’s valuable is the connections and relationships we make and trying to be present with that feeling.

Performances are scheduled for November 21 through December 20 at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays at Spring Street Studios, 1824 Spring Street. For more information, call 832-767-4991 or visit 4thwalltheatreco.com. $40-$70. Ticket discounts are available for those under 25 and seniors 65 and older.

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