By Staff
All about ‘Our Town’
By Adrienne McKenzie
It was a sad morning for me Saturday when I woke up to find dark, cloudy skies that looked as if they would never clear.
As sad as that was for me, I imagine my sadness times a million for those who worked on putting Mayfest together.
I was looking forward to experiencing Mayfest because last year was my first year in Atmore and I missed it because I was in a wedding and I, myself, will be a married woman living in Troy this time next year. So who knows if I will be able to make it back down to Atmore to next year’s festival. So, this year was my only shot at going to what I have heard called one of Atmore’s biggest draws and it was rained out.
Luckily the nasty weather had no effect on Northview High School’s senior play, “Our Town.” I had the opportunity to go to the play Saturday night and it was really enjoyable. It was apparent that a lot of hard work went into putting together the production.
What I found interesting about the play was the lack of props. That’s not a bad thing because the seniors at NHS made it work. When the girls were ‘making breakfast,’ they had no props to use but air. It was impressive to see them literally work with nothing.
The play consists of three acts, “Daily Life” being the first. This begins with the “Stage Manager” telling about the town of Grover’s Corner. The “Stage Manager” introduces the audience to main characters in the play, including the Gibbs and Webb families and shows what ‘daily life’ would consist of for the average American family in the early 1900s.
Act Two is entitled “Love and Marriage.” This act is when George Gibbs and Emily Webb get married. It is a stressful occasion for both families with both tears and joy.
Act Three is called “Death.” The location of this act is a graveyard that overlooks Grover’s Corner. The dead observe the living while they lie in their “graves.” This act shows that Emily Webb has died during childbirth.
She joins those who sit in their graves observing the living. During this period Emily decides to relive one day and she chooses her 12th birthday. At first she was very happy, but then learns how life goes by so fast and that everyone takes so much for granted.
There were of course many tidbits of the play that I won’t describe because perhaps you will purchase the videotape that NHS has for sale at the school to see the fine acting of the seniors.
I initially thought I would go to the play, snap a couple of pictures and then leave. But the seniors did a great job of pulling me in and I stayed the entire time to watch their acting.
Good job seniors!
Adrienne McKenzie is managing editor for The Atmore Advance. She can be reached at 368-2123 or emailed at lifestyles@atmoreadvance.com