‘Our Town’ Performance at Miner’s Set on June 27, 29
by Randy Pierce • Celebrating 50 years since a performance of Thornton Wilder’s play called “Our Town” by students at Collinsville High School, it will be presented again by a local group called the 643 Legacy Players two times later this month.
Scheduled for Friday evening, June 27, at 7 p.m. then again on Sunday afternoon, June 29, at 2 p.m., the production will consist of a cast made up of alumni from CHS going back a half-century along with more current members of its Thespian Troupe 643 at the historic Miner’s Theatre at 204 West Main Street in Collinsville.
Mark Nelson, who for 31 years was the director of the drama department at CHS, will handle the same duties for this month’s “Our Town” production and be assisted by Andrea Futrell Young. Laurel Sexton-Juenger is set director and Susie River Ledford is set designer.
There have been 132 CHS plays since the 1975 presentation of “Our Town,” according to Nelson, who describes it as one of the greatest ever written, set in the small community of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire and divided into three acts, beginning with “Daily Life” followed by “Love and Marriage” then “Death and Eternity.”
Written in 1938 by Wilder to depict the little New England village between 1901 and 1913, the play explores the relationship between two young neighbors, George Gibbs and Emily Webb, whose childhood friendship blossoms into romance and then culminates in marriage. When Emily passes away in childbirth, the circle of life portrayed in each of the three acts is fully realized.
Nelson said this 50-year anniversary celebration has been made possible through the support of Miners Institute Foundation, a non-profit corporation organized by volunteer citizens for the purpose of raising funds for the rehabilitation and support of the Miner’s Theater. Built by the local miners in 1918, the theater is a beautiful example of architecture from that era.
For information regarding tickets, go to the Miners Theatre website, find it on Eventbrite or conduct a Facebook search.
