Eagle Theatre to Stage OUR TOWN, Begin. 5/20

Eagle Theatre will pay homage to the Greater Delaware Valley with a groundbreaking production of Thornton Wilder's Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Pulitzer Prize Winning play, OUR TOWN.

Starring Theatre Philadelphia Barrymore Award Winners Jared Delaney, Charlie DelMarcelle, and Leonard C. Haas, Wilder's inspirational masterpiece seamlessly weaves past and present, as it chronicles the daily life of a close-knit community and reveals universal truths that connect us all by showing us what it is to be alive.

OUR TOWN, written in 1938, became an instant classic following a successful Broadway run. This celebrated American classic was born out of a playwright's frustration. Wilder was dissatisfied with the theatre of his time, claiming "I felt that something had gone wrong.... I began to feel that the theatre was not only inadequate, it was evasive." His response was to use a metatheatrical style in approach to this work. OUR TOWN systematically breaks down the barriers between audience and performer, while actors mime actions without the use of props. However, despite Wilder's theatrical invention, it is the uplifting subject matter that resonates with today's audience.

DelMarcelle, a professional actor, director, and theatre educator for over eighteen years claims that what drew him to the play is its timelessness. "The day people stop working, loving, struggling, connecting, suffering, laughing...dying...that's the day we can start thinking of this beautiful piece of theatre that flaunts the conventions of this art form so masterfully as a relic...an antique. Until then, it remains just as vibrant, just as cutting edge, just as important, just as modern...as any other work of the contemporary theatre."
Haas, fellow Barrymore Winner and professional actor and philanthropist, shared DelMarcelle's sentiment, exclaiming "It taps into what is at our core, what is really important, or at the very least it will make people remember or realize what they once knew was important that they might had forgotten, as they became grown up and modern."

Eagle Theatre has sought to breathe life into this familiar tale. The production will feature a pre-show immersive walk-through exhibit entitled 'Waves of Diversity - An Interactive Experience of Our Progressive History', set to display rare photos, film, clothing, artifacts, and antiquities. Onstage, props will remain pantomimed in tradition Wilder fashion, and live sound effects are created by the actors themselves. In addition, the actors remain onstage throughout the performance, serving as an instrument to the communal sentiment of the piece.

Delaney, Co-Founder and Associate Artistic Director of Revolution Shakespeare, concluded "While it's certainly an American classic, it's far more experimental than people remember. The subject matter seems simple enough, but the structure of the play itself was a bit avant-garde for its day. Even today, for that matter."

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