Message Of Possum Point Players' OUR TOWN Is Timeless

Some plays are truly timeless and Director Russell Stiles said Thornton Wilder's iconic "Our Town" is one of those. He said directing this play for Possum Point Players has been a journey of renewal for him as it brings home the universal truth that each day of life is precious.

Possum Point Players production of the Pulitzer Prize winning play is presented Sept. 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 and 16; Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20, $19 for students and seniors, and may be purchased at www.possumpointplayers.org or 302-826-4560.

The community theatre group is offering a special student discount ticket price of $10 for the first Saturday, September 8. The discount priced tickets must be purchased by cash or check at the theatre office, 441 Old Laurel Highway, Georgetown. If not pre-purchased, student discounted tickets will be sold as available the night of the September 8 performance.

Lewes resident Stiles said, "In a world of cellphones, emails and high-pressured lifestyles, 'Our Town' reminds us that the smallest moments in our lives are precious. Watching these talented young and veteran actors on stage each night, I am constantly inspired to slow down, hug more, listen more than I speak and love those around me as if this were my last day; indeed, Carpe Diem lives in each moment of 'Our Town'."

Alexis Waddy of Frederica portrays young Emily Webb whose question to Rehoboth Beach resident Hunter Graves as the Stage Manager brings the universal message home. In Act III, Emily asks, "Does anyone ever realize life while they live it...every, every minute?"

"No," the Stage Manager responds. "Saints and poets maybe...they do some."

Joining Waddy and Graves are 20 more cast members from 10 more towns in central and southern Delaware. Stiles said there is a wide range of ages and experience among cast members, with some new to the stage and others who have acted professionally. All together, the director said the group makes a very believable and moving bunch of residents in Thornton's fictional town of Grovers Corners, New Hampshire.

Written in 1938, the play is intended to be acted on an almost bare stage with no props, so that the attention of the audience is held solely by the words and emotions of the characters. Characters who lived before television, microwaves, face book and electric clothes dryers, yet their feelings and relationships are, at heart, much the same as those of everyone today.

"Our Town" is suitable for all audiences.

Our Town is produced through special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Possum Point Players is supported, in part, by grants from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

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