BWW Blog: Amanda Grillo - Our School, Our Show, OUR TOWN: Meet the Family Edition Part 1

The concept of family is a very large aspect of this production. The cast becomes a family through bonding; the script features two every day families. This week, we have the pleasure of meeting the Gibbs family and getting an inside look at their perspective of theatre and the production.

Let's start with the Gibbs Family. Patriarch to the Gibbs Clan is Doc Gibbs, played by Jared Reynolds. His favorite part of rehearsals is "all of the fun things that show up when people try new things that really change the atmosphere of the scene and suddenly, the whole scene falls into place." When asked if there was anything he wanted to tell our future audiences, he shared that "You'll be surprised how much you'll connect with these characters, even though the landscape and time period are entirely different from today."

Next is Doc Gibbs's beloved wife, Mrs. Gibbs, played by Francesca Fontanez. Her favorite part of the production is:

"...being in this production is the deeper meaning behind every moment. Just when we think we'd covered all possible interpretations around a certain aspect of the show, our director, assistant director, or even another cast member always seem to come up with a new idea, keeping things interesting throughout the process."

Mrs. Gibbs is the quintessential protective mother. Fontanez describes what it's like to portray that while staying true to stage directions in the third scene, which calls for a straight stillness:

"The protective mother instinct is very apparent (no pun intended) in your character. How do you think that quality into the final act as Mrs. Gibbs attempts to be the voice of reason and comfort when Emily struggles with the transition into being dead? This is a very difficult scene for me to play, because it's apparent in Wilder's stage direction that he wants The Dead to be played very straight, with little emotion. Emily and Mrs. Gibbs's relationship is a very close one, and to try to portray a voice of reason and comfort with such unnatural confines has certainly been a challenge. The more we run the scene, however, the more and more familiar I become with the message we're trying to portray; I hope it reads well to an audience."

She also shares with us:

"I would describe this show as "Timeless". While this show has a certain setting in the past, it touches upon so many common themes human beings have experienced for years. Routines, love, gossip, and so many others are all familiar aspects of the everyday human experience. This play is often regarded as "The Best American Play". If that isn't reason enough to see it, I don't know what is!"

Next up is the little sister, Rebecca, played by Brianna L'Ecuyer. At the end of Act one, she talks to her brother about an odd letter a friend received. Here's what that means to her:

"I think that my speech at the end of Act 1 symbolizes that no matter how small or insignificant we may feel in the big scheme of life and the universe, all of us still matter. The letter is addressed as far as the universe and the mind of God and yet the postman still brought the letter to the address previously listed. No matter how small we think we are, we are all a part of something so much bigger than ourselves and that is just so powerful."

When asked what her favorite part was, she responded with:

"My favorite part of being a part of this production has been learning about the dynamics between all of the members of the Gibbs family. I have been having a lot of fun learning about Rebecca's likes, dislikes, and her reactions to different things, but it has also been a great experience see the amount of love and respect the Gibbs' all have for one another. Whether Rebecca is pouting about a dress, or George is being reprimanded by Mr. Gibbs, or Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs are discussing a town scandal, they always end their days knowing that they love one another and how lucky they are to have each other. It's beautiful."

L'Ecuyer shares with us what future audiences can expect when they come to see this show:

"When the audience comes to see this show they can expect to see real people, just like them. They can expect to see their son playing George Gibbs, their friend from Biology class to be playing Wally Webb, and so on. They can expect to see a show that they can see themselves in. In the small town of Grovers Corners, stories and events unfold every act that audience members go through every single day. The show is just so human. Life, love and death are all human experiences that everyone can connect to."

Last, but certainly not least, we have George Gibbs, played by Michael Kennedy, who shared with us his favorite part of being involved in this production:

"My favorite part of this production has been getting to work with Jonathan Yukich. After working with him in Psycho Beach Party in the fall of 2015, I have been dying to be in another production of his. He is easily one of the best directors I have ever worked with. Jonathan is incredibly collaborative with actors and very easy to work with."

The role of George is actually a dream role for Kennedy. He disclosed to us what being able to fulfill this dream:

"I have wanted to play George ever since I read Our Town in my freshman year of high school. Now that I'm actually playing George, it is absolutely terrifying and challenging. For a long time, I have played a series of fun, goofy characters in every show. I love doing that, but I wanted to do something different. George is that something. At each rehearsal, I find a new challenge in playing George. It's so easy to play the characters in this play as flat and boring, but they are all so far from that. George is such an important character in one of the most well-known plays ever written. I just hope I do the role justice."

He also shares his description of what audiences can expect:

"This show is a faithful, yet fresh interpretation of an American classic. Everyone that is a part of this show, onstage and off, is working so hard to make this production the best it can be. I don't think there is a single person involved that isn't being challenged and pushed to improve. We are still about a month away from opening, and I am already so incredibly proud of what we have accomplished. It can only get better from here, so audiences are in for a real treat."

Stayed tuned for next week when we hear from the Webb family!

Come see Our Town

November 16th thru the 19th at the Bucknall Theater

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