Interview: Wendy Maples of OUR TOWN at Groundworks Theatre

Wendy Maples is an actress, director, playwright, and teacher, and she can now add “Stage Manager” to her resume.  At least as the main character of that title in “Our Town,” playing February 28-March 2, 2025, at Groundworks Theatre.  Wendy took time to talk about the draw this show has and what it has been like exploring this classic play with her cast.

“Our Town” is set in Grovers Corners, presenting the everyday citizens of the town and their lives over a few years.  This classic play first premiered in 1938 but has proved to be a popular play to revisit on stage, TV, movies, and even in the most recent 2024 Broadway revival.  

Wendy says that this play is a universal show that people can connect with time and time again. 

"Exactly that. Our Town is about "time and time again." It's about the human experience. And love. And loss. And all of those human things that are universal. I have to believe that every person who has ever seen this play or read this script has connected to some piece of this because we're all living this in real-time, right? I first saw 'Our Town' when I was 13 years old, and it never left me. I have carried this play in my bones ever since; I've seen it many times, in many languages, I've directed it with my students, and now this is my first time in it. Every single time I've encountered this piece, it's given me something new, because it's met me at a different stage of my life. And here we are now."

Groundworks Theatre is a company that was founded to help train artists in the foundational elements of performance, furthering dramatic education, and letting artists explore stories that promote creativity, connection, and understanding. Maples says that this has proven to be the case in the cast's exploration of “Our Town.”

"Heather and Katrina (Dr. Heather LaForge, Our Town Director/Artistic Director, Groundworks Theatre  & Katrina DeRoche, Director of Programming, Groundworks Theatre) have done such a great job of casting a layered and intergenerational cast, which feels really authentic to the piece."

Wendy plays the "Stage Manager," a role that controls things on stage and takes its name from the fantastic stage managers who keep theatres running everywhere. This character is unique in that it is connected to the show but detached from the proceedings while also addressing the audience, which allows Maples to play many angles in this character.

"Well, God bless the actual stage managers who do the real work to keep theatres running- THANK YOU ALL! 

As far as the 'role' of the Stage Manager- it's so interesting to spend so much of a play talking directly to the audience. In that sense, I think that there's a reason the Stage Manager wants to share all of this Grover's Corners information with others; there's an important story to share, and I think the Stage Manager is ultimately a keeper of those stories. And they're a great storyteller. And maybe a little bit gossipy.  As the Stage Manager and personally, when I'm up there, I feel a lot of responsibility for all the players and the audience."

While this show may be a classic, close to 90 years old, Wendy says it is not dreary or will weigh audiences down. Instead, she encourages people to come, enjoy, and laugh at how relatable everything in it is to everyone's experience. 

"So often, we come to Our Town with preconceived notions of a heaviness or a sadness- having maybe only read it once in school. I would love to invite audiences to let that go and to laugh. Grover’s Corners is funny. Life is stupid, and we have to laugh at it. The day-to-day routines, the silliness of falling in love, and even some of the ideas we hold onto about death and dying…. Like the Stage Manager says: “Wherever you come near the human race, there’s layers and layers of nonsense.”

How To Get Tickets

See Wendy Maples and the entire cast of “Our Town” by Groundworks Theatre from February 28th - March 2nd. For show time and ticket information, go to https://www.groundworkstheatrearts.com/. Performances will be held at Moxie Theatre.

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