Dear “Our Town,”
Wow. Another show is complete, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I’ve learned so much about myself through this show, and I’ve discovered infinitely more important life lessons that I will carry with me forever.
Every show I’ve done here at LHS has meant so much to me. Each hour spent in rehearsals — while they sometimes felt so long — are hours that I will treasure forever; from giant platform boots to an overskirt held closed with a safety pin, each costume I’ve worn will always hold a special place in my heart.
However, “Our Town,” even from the very beginning, has always felt more sacred, and I’m not fully sure why. It could be because we were performing a piece of history; “Our Town” was performed at LHS 60 years ago on the original auditorium stage. It could be due to the emotional impact of the script itself. Or, perhaps most simply, it could be because “Our Town” is a show that relates to so many people on so many levels. There are so many people who, when I’ve told them that I’m in a production of “Our Town,” have said something to the effect of “Oh, I/my family member/my friend/my high school did that show!” Additionally, people can relate to the themes of human connection and finding beauty in the everyday.
In addition to profoundly impacting our audience, this production had a profound impact on me. As someone who is very much a perfectionist and overachiever, I struggle a lot with appreciating and living in the moment, so the themes of this show certainly hit hard. Also, opening night just so happened to fall on the anniversary of my grandfather’s passing, a day that never fails to make me cry, even when I’m not performing a show where an entire act centers around death and the loss of a family member. However, this show and its coinciding with that date gave me a deeper insight into my emotions, and, in a way, almost helped me cope. Even though I was crying, I was surrounded by a group of people whom I would consider to all be my friends.
To me, that’s the magic of theater – the connections you make and the lessons you learn. And, in the words of Thornton Wilder, the writer of “Our Town,” “We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the stars . . . everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how people are always losing hold of it. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being.”
Therefore, I thank every single cast member, technician and director of this show, in the past, present or future, for contributing to the eternal legacy of this show, and I am so grateful to be counted among them.
