Video: How Beowulf Boritt Found Grover's Corners to Bring Back OUR TOWN

Bringing Our Town back to Broadway is personal for Beowulf Boritt. The two-time Tony-winning scenic designer played the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's iconic play when he was a just a freshman in high school. Now, he's bringing the story to life again onstage at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.

Beowulf explained to BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge that he had many early discussions with director Kenny Leon about his vision for the revival. "The challenge is: how do you do something that feels like it has some resonance for Broadway, but also doesn't get in the way of the play? That's what I hope we've achieved. It's a very simple wood plank set. You'll walk in and there is a wall with a door in it."

Boritt ran with Leon's ideas about incorportating religious elements into the design. "The production is about [the idea] that all of America is Our Town. All of the world is Our Town. We all live in Our Town. He wanted to start with music from different religions, not competing, but just hearing those different sounds- that crazy quilt of American life. So I said, 'Well, what if we put audience onstage in church pews...?' And he said, 'I love it, as long as they are comfortable!'"

30 audience members will get to be a part of the action eight times a week as a part of that design. 

"It's such a gorgeous play- the way it reminds us to recognize the moments in our lives that are magic and to try not to just breeze though and ignore them," he continued. "That's what brings me to tears every time I see a good production of the show."

Watch in this video as the pair meets at the Museum of Broadway's 'Making of a Broadway Show' exhibit to chat more about his inspiration for the design and so much more.