Concord Theatricals Acquires Licensing Rights to Thornton Wilder's OUR TOWN (MULTILINGUAL)

Concord Theatricals has announced that it has secured exclusive licensing rights in North America to Our Town (Multilingual) by Thornton Wilder, with translations by Nilo Cruz and Jeff Augustin, for its Samuel French imprint. For more information visit concordsho.ws/OurTownMulti

In this new acting edition of Thornton Wilder's iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the Wilder Family has allowed changes to the text for the first time in history. This version, originally commissioned and produced by Miami New Drama and conceived and directed by Artistic Director Michel Hausmann, features the characters at the center of this drama set in small town New England, speaking English, Spanish and Creole. By layering in new languages and cultures, Our Town broadens the reach of the play's quintessential American - and human - story.

"Thornton Wilder conceived Our Town as a universal play about everyone, everywhere," said his nephew and literary executor, Tappan Wilder. "This new multilingual version amplifies his perspective in a dramatic 21st century way. We're thrilled to take this significant step with Wilder's world-famous play."

"Our Town is often thought of as 'the' American play. This contemporary take on Mr. Wilder's essential work retains the emotion and beauty of the classic, while addressing the evolving demographics of our communities," said Amy Rose Marsh, Senior Director of Acquisitions and Artistic Development at Concord Theatricals. "Nilo and Jeff's translations are powerful additions to Wilder's story. Concord Theatricals is proud to make this work available to theatres around the country."

"Miami New Drama's multilingual production of Our Town set out to expand on the universality of Mr. Wilder's brilliant work," said Michel Hausmann, Artistic Director of Miami New Drama. "The goal was to depict a community that truly looked like Our Town. A community of immigrants, divided by language but united by the shared condition of being alive. We are honored that this vision of a modern-day Grover's Corners will now have the potential to be shared by a diversity of artists and audiences across America."

Described by Edward Albee as "...the greatest American play ever written," the story follows the small town of Grover's Corners through three acts: "Daily Life," "Love and Marriage," and "Death and Eternity." Narrated by a stage manager and performed with minimal props and sets, Our Town depicts the simple daily lives of the Webb and Gibbs families as their children fall in love, marry, and eventually - in one of the most famous scenes in American theatre - die.

Our Town opened on Broadway at Henry Miller's Theatre on February 4, 1938, produced and directed by Jed Harris. The original cast featured Frank Craven, Martha Scott and John Craven. The play returned to Broadway four times: in 1944 starring Marc Connelly; in 1969 starring Henry Fonda; in 1988 starring Spalding Gray; and in 2002 starring Paul Newman.

Photo Credit: Stian Roenning