Hellgate High School’s Good Knight Theatre Company is putting on a three act production of Our Town, written by Thornton Wilder and directed by Laramie Dean. The fall play opens this Thursday on Nov. 13 and runs until the 15th. The cast is made up of twenty five people plus freshman Bee Jovin playing the viola, and five backstage crew members.
“Being a part of a story that’s all about appreciating the little moments in life feels really special,” said senior Myla Spoon, who plays the lead role of Emily.
Our Town follows a beautiful story of a young girl named Emily Webb who lives in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, and her neighbor George Gibbs who she ends up marrying and having two children with. Emily dies while giving birth to her second child, and is able to relive any day from her past. Once she chooses the day to relive, it’s not what she had imagined at all.
“Our Town doesn’t rely on big sets or flashy props. Almost everything is mimed,” Spoon said. As many other straight plays would be filled with props and heavy set pieces, Our Town creates a sense of realism and genuine connection to the audience. During the play, the fourth wall is often broken by the three stage managers who narrate the show.
“The miming really pushes you to focus on the acting and the relationships between the characters,” Spoon said. “It’s a good challenge for high school actors because it helps us grow by relying purely on storytelling and connection.”
The cast and crew have been rehearsing since September 10th. Hours are spent in the school’s auditorium running lines, perfecting staging and putting together costumes appropriate to the 1900’s time period.
The majority of Hellgate theatre productions in the past have been more imaginative with little to no realism, while Our Town still follows a fictional plot line the acting is more realistic which has pushed a lot of actors to work harder with their character’s emotions.
The choice to have three acts in a high school play with two intermissions was specifically to follow the timeline of the play.
The first act follows Emily and George growing up, and introduces characters’ objectives. The second act shows how Emily and George fall in love, while the third act shows the graveyard and Emily reliving a day from her past.
“With Emily, I’ve found some parts of her I really connect with, but overall we’re pretty different,” Spoon said. “That’s what makes her so fun to play.”
With all of the cast and crew’s continuous hard work, they’ve all pushed advertisements and posters around Missoula to promote their play. While the play has not been heard of by many, it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see it in person. The tickets can be purchased at the door, or by using this link to reserve seats online. https://gofan.co/event/5088133?schoolId=MT19792&utm_source=GoFan&utm_medium=qrcode&utm_campaign=HQEventLink.
