1. Our Town, a drama by American playwright Thornton Wilder, was recently
performed in the Broad Auditorium at Barry University. Our Town is a three act play that
takes place in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire between the years of 1901 and 1913
following the lives of the everyday people to show how they would have lived. The show
starts with the narrator, played by Professor Hugh Murphy, introducing us to the town
and the characters. Dr. Gibbs, Mrs. Gibbs and their children. The play also follows their
neighbors Mr. Webb, Mrs. Webb and their children.
This show is mostly done by pantomiming the props, which means that the actors
and actresses use little to no props or scenery and pretend that they have what they need.
Professor John Manzelli, who directed the show, commented “An actor’s job is to believe
in imaginary circumstances. It took rehearsal time to draw out the world for the actors
and get them to believe in the props they were using. I was very proud of the mime work
they put in.” Watching a show that left so much to the imagination was very fun. “It is
very cool when the actors pantomime and it really shows their talent because even though
they don’t have any props you can still tell what they are doing. It doesn’t take away from
the performance, if anything, it adds to it.” Said an audience member.
Many of the actors who were in this show are senior. So, for India Davis,
Alekzander Sayers, and Justin Rivera this was their last major performance at Barry
University. Alekzander commented “I like to think it as the beginning of a new chapter
in my life rather than the closing of the previous one and it was really special to share the
stage with Dr. Murphy, the first professor I ever met here at school and being directed by
Manzelli brings things full circle since he directed the first production I was in when I got
to school.”