OUR TOWN
Overview
Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Our Town explores the lives of the residents in the fictional small town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, during the early 20th century. Through the eyes of the Stage Manager, the audience is introduced to the Gibbs and Webb families and follows the courtship and marriage of their children, George Gibbs and Emily Webb. The play delves into themes of love, loss, and the passage of time, ultimately highlighting the preciousness of human existence and the importance of cherishing each moment.
In a groundbreaking production of Our Town in Williamstown, Massachusetts, the play’s themes of community and small-town life are brought to life by utilizing the town’s rich history and local landmarks. The Little Red School House/Williamstown Historical Museum, the Southlawn Cemetery, and The Store at Five Corners serve as immersive settings to enhance the audience’s engagement with the story. The production takes advantage of the town’s authentic charm and transforms it into Grover’s Corners, blurring the line between the fictional world of the play and the real-life experience of the audience.
Audiences begin their journey at the Little Red School House/Williamstown Historical Museum, where they are introduced to the historical context of the town. From there, they follow the characters’ footsteps, ultimately visiting the cemetery where the deceased residents of Grover’s Corners are buried. The gravestones become a visual reminder of the play’s exploration of mortality and the cyclical nature of life. The final stop is The Store at Five Corners, a local gathering place, which serves as the backdrop for the play’s pivotal scenes, including George and Emily’s wedding. By using these authentic locations, the production creates an immersive and deeply resonant experience for the audience, blurring the boundaries between art and reality in a way that captivates and moves viewers.The intimate setting enhances the emotional impact of the characters’ reflections, as the audience becomes part of the ethereal community. By utilizing the actual locations of Williamstown, the production breathes life into the play’s themes, blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality, and creating a powerful connection between the audience, the town, and the timeless message of Wilder’s Our Town.
About Margo Neely
Margo Neely is an internationally recognized polymath creator-inventor whose work pioneers new technologies, media forms, and cultural systems through practice, experimentation, and execution rather than trend-following pipelines. Working at the intersection of art, philosophy, technology, and human behavior, Neely conceives, designs, engineers, and launches original intellectual property that operates simultaneously as artwork, tool, and lived system.
Neely is best known as the inventor of the Neely Air Freestyle • Neely 33 Sound Shoe, a wearable drum-machine technology that fused music production, movement, and design into a category-defining object, achieving more than six billion in global reach organically. She is also the creator and director of Ladies Revenge Club, an award-winning television series named “Best of the Festival” and “Best Series” at New York Comic Con and New York Super Week’s Geekfest for its innovative narrative and production model.
Neely’s interdisciplinary practice spans art, writing, and invention, producing precedent-setting work studied, built upon, and activated across artistic, academic, and technological contexts, shaping models for how original ideas become durable cultural infrastructure.
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