Our Town
As part of its 2023-2024 Season, The Old Academy Players is proud to present American playwright Thornton Wilder’s three-act play Our Town. The Old Academy Players’ 541st production will run June 7-23, 2024; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm (no performance June 9). It is presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
The first performance of Our Town was at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ, on January 22, 1938. Our Town opened on Broadway at Henry Miller's Theatre on February 4, 1938, produced and directed by Jed Harris. The original cast featured Frank Craven, Martha Scott and John Craven. The play returned to Broadway four times: in 1944 starring Marc Connelly; in 1969 starring Henry Fonda; in 1988 starring Spalding Gray; and in 2002 starring Paul Newman.
This Pulitzer Prize–winning drama of life in the small town of Grover’s Corners has become an American classic and is Thornton Wilder’s most renowned and frequently performed play. At the turn of the 20th Century, we follow the ordinary, yet profound, experiences of the inhabitants of fictional American town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire (between 1901 and 1913) as they live, die, and realize the meaning of life.
The stellar cast includes: Ross Druker - Stage Manager, Leah O’Hara - Mrs. Gibbs, Sarah Labov - Mrs. Webb, Dan Crozier - Dr. Gibbs, George Gibbs - Connor Patrick, Randy Shupp - Professor Willard, Sam Gugino - Mr. Webb, Haley Dunning - Emily Webb, Emma Rydzewski - Rebecca Gibbs 1, Matt Rydewski - Sam Craig, Olivia Lewandowski - Rebecca Gibbs 2, Mike Zaleski - Howie Newsome, Rich Geller - Simon Stimson, Phoenix Levine - Wally, James Hearn - Constable Warren, Paolo Barolat-Romana - Joe Stoddard, Chris Cutrufello - Mrs. Soames, Nathan Weid - Si Crowell/Joe Crowell, Jerry Jennings - Farmer McCarthy, Chris Cutrufello - Artistic lady in box, Lucy Bell Sellers - Dead Woman 1, Sonya Hearn - Dead Woman 2,and Paul Anderson - Man back of Auditorium .
Jane Jennings directs this production of Our Town. Jane Jennings has directed plays at Old Academy Players, The Stagecrafters, and Spotlight Theater. Some highlights include: Vanya and Sonya and Marsha and Spike, The Elephant Man, Bus Stop, Much Ado About Nothing, and Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley. She has done costume design, and many other aspects of theater production. Her background is in opera and classical singing. Jane graduated from The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. She teaches piano at Friends Central School, and has a private piano studio. Our Town is produced by Carla Childs, Mary Jane Fullam, Janine Lieberman, and Jerry Jennings. Helga Krauss is the costumière and Elliana Porter is the production’s stage manager.
Ticket prices are: $20 per adult; $10 for Students under 25 with valid ID; group rate (15 or more) $17 each. Tickets can be purchased online at www.OldAcademyPlayers.org. Reservations and more information can be obtained by calling the Box Office at 215-843-1109. Old Academy Players is located at 3544 Indian Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129. Parking for all performances is free.
The Old Academy Players has provided continuous community theater entertainment since 1923 and is a non-profit community theater in East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Constructed in 1819, the Old Academy building has been the OAP home since 1932. Old Academy Players is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Most notable alumni include Tony Award-nominated actor Robert Prosky and Hollywood icon, Grace Kelly. Support is provided by the "Philadelphia Cultural Fund".
