American Theater Group to Host Post-Show Discussion on THE ENDURING LEGACY OF OUR TOWN
Thornton Wilder Society Executive Director Mary English to join Oct. 30 talkback in Union.
American Theater Group (ATG) will present a post-performance talkback titled “The Enduring Legacy of Our Town” following the Thursday, October 30, 7 p.m. performance of OUR TOWN at the DMK Theater in the Union Arts Center.
The discussion will be moderated by ATG Producing Artistic Director James Vagias, joined by Thornton Wilder Society Executive Director Mary English, director Merete Muenter, and members of the cast. The event is open to all audience members; no reservations are required.
Set in the fictional Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, Thornton Wilder’s Our Town explores the universality of everyday life — love, loss, community, and mortality — through humor and poignancy. Since its 1938 debut, it has remained one of the most celebrated works in American theater.
“Thornton Wilder’s words about love, loss, daily routines, and the need to relish simple pleasures as they occur speak to anyone who has seen or read this play,” said Jim Vagias, Producing Artistic Director. “We are thrilled to have Mary join us and provide thought-provoking context to how Wilder's story endures nearly a century later.”
Mary C. English, Professor of Classics and General Humanities at Montclair State University and Executive Director of the Thornton Wilder Society, is the co-editor of The Spirit of Aristophanes (Edinburgh University Press, 2024) and an expert on classical reception in American theater.
ATG’s production of Our Town is directed by Merete Muenter, whose credits include Associate Director of the 2022 Off-Broadway Fiddler on the Roof directed by Joel Grey. The cast features Timothy Ware-Hill (Kinky Boots) as the Stage Manager, Carrie Keating as Emily Webb, and Chase Pittman as George Gibbs.
OUR TOWN runs October 23–November 2 at the DMK Theater at the Union Arts Center (1980 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ) and continues November 6–9 at the Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge. Performances are Thursdays–Saturdays at 7 p.m. (Union) / 7:30 p.m. (Basking Ridge) and Sundays at 2 p.m. (Union) / 2:30 p.m. (Basking Ridge).
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