Our Town
at Lillian Osborne High School

Reviewed on March 24, 2016

Lauren Belter
Strathcona High School
Submitted for publication to Edmonton Journal 1

"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?"
Life, love, and death are eternally powerful themes found repeatedly in theatre, and few shows explore them as beautifully as Our Town. Staying true to both the play's tradition of raw realism and the school's tradition of student directing, Lillian Osborne's production of Our Town was an endearing and emotional journey that had its audience in tears or in awe by its end.

Welcome to Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, a rural town in the early 20th Century, full of familiar faces and stories. Written in 1938 by Thornton Wilder, Our Town is a timeless classic in three acts, brimming with authentic realism. The play first debuted at McCarter Theatre in 1938 before finding great success on Broadway, where it won the Pulitzer Prize for drama that same year. Today, revivals of the show remain popular, especially among high schools.

Lillian Osborne's cast charmed the audience every step of the way with their dynamic array of characters. Deborah Aikins stood out as the ever-present Stage Manager, grounding the audience and guiding the show with smooth transitions and silver-tongued soliloquies. Her constant stage presence was a powerful anchor amid the ever-changing story and set, and although she didn't get a moment of rest, Aikins embraced her role effortlessly.

From childhood friends to newlywed sweethearts, the love story of Emily Webb and George Gibbs is a captivating glimpse into small town life, and was played simply delightfully by Sydney Jinjoe and Bryce Whalen. Jinjoe won over the hearts of the audience from the start; her Emily was deeply beautiful in every sense of the word. Whalen's performance ranged fluently from sweetly entertaining to hauntingly moving. He evoked every emotion with such a natural ease that it was hard to believe this was his first time on stage. The pair held an honest and romantic chemistry the audience simply couldn't resist.

The show centres on beauty in simplicity, and Lillian Osborne's minimalistic set certainly kept that in mind. Using only six chairs and a pair of ladders, the cast built the world of Grover's Corners with imaginative mime; Kiara Psiurski and Janessa Gritter's delicate attention to detail and endless commitment to moulding the world with intricate mime truly deserves praise. Other technical components such as subtle lighting (Rohan Sample) and seamless transition of set pieces (Sophia Konrad) kept the show running smoothly. At the very heart of the show were the two true masterminds behind the magic, student directors Patrick Dover and Tyler Saison. With a fantastic vision and passion for drama, Dover and Saison spent countless hours bringing the Broadway classic to life in Lillian Osborne's very own black box theatre. It was clear that their hard work paid off; the performance was intimate, emotional, and everything Our Town should be.

The students of Lillian Osborne passionately and honestly discovered the beauty in life, love, and death, leaving the audience feeling they were in the presence of something truly eternal.

Isabella Derilo
Strathcona High School
Submitted for publication to Edmonton Journal 2

"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it - every, every minute?"
Emily Webb lets this question hang softly in the packed black box theatre of Lillian Osborne High School. Tackling the tragic and exceptionally haunting Our Town, Lillian Osborne takes the meaning of life, love and death to new heights.

Filled to the brim with existential sentiments and glimpses into the ordinary lives of ordinary people, Our Town, by Thornton Wilder, has been one of the most produced and performed plays since its first performance in 1938. Winning multiple awards for revivals as well as the Pulitzer Prize for drama award in 1938, Our Town is constantly celebrated for its intriguing account of life, love and death. Although written in 1938, Our Town remains relevant in the present day, touching on the complex philosophies of human existence.

Courageous student directors, Tyler Saison and Patrick Dover, magnified the importance of imagination, wonder, and truth as they chose to strip actors of props and an elaborate set to respect Wilder's minimalist ideals. Mrs. Webb (Janessa Gritter) and Mrs. Gibbs (Kiara Psiurski) thrived in the absence of props as they demonstrated the perfect way to mime with ease and elegance. As for the empty stage, the brilliant Deborah Aikins, who brought life to the role of the Stage Manager, textually constructed the scenery with superb articulation and precise intention. Aikins grounded the show with professional expertise as she stepped in and out of characters, reiterating her brilliance and ability.

Adding to the brilliance of this show was the sweet and lovable Sydney Jinjoe, playing the delicate and intricate Emily Webb. Jinjoe brought an energetic level of innocence and childlike wonder to the role. Jinjoe created a beautifully dynamic character from start to finish and ignited the spark of charming chemistry with her onstage beau and first-time actor, Bryce Whalen, as he confidently took on the role of George Gibbs. Jinjoe and Whalen brought blushing cheeks and giddy laughter throughout the piece and amplified the tender enchantment of being young and in love.

Setting the stage with immense care was Sophia Konrad, who worked professionally and efficiently, pushing the performance along smoothly and breaking down the wall of actor versus technician. Warming every scene with soft and open light was lighting designer Rohan Sample, who worked alongside subtle sound designer, Nick Yang. Other honourable mentions were Bill Yang's charming portrayal of Mr. Webb, Markus Gaenzle's wonderfully comedic interpretation of Professor Willard, and Bisan Hasasneh's beautiful production poster.

Overflowing with love, life and death, Lillian Osborne's rendition of Our Town invoked powerful ponderings of human existence and reminded one to stop and truly look at the fragility of life.

Harmon Tamura
St. Joseph High School
Submitted for publication to Edmonton Journal 3

Thornton Wilder, a novelist and playwright of the 1930s, wrote Our Town in response to the theatrical landscape of the time. A surreal minimalistic piece, Our Town portrays the everyday life of the citizens of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, from 1901 to 1913. Wilder explores themes presented in daily life, love, marriage, and even death as the play comes to a close. Although the play is known for being difficult to execute correctly, the students of Lillian Osborne confidently tackled their production of Our Town on the night of March 24th.

Our Town exists in a constant state of meta-theatrical flux wherein characters are usually within the world Our Town creates but sometimes step out to address the audience. One character, the Stage Manager, whose role has her open the play by greeting the audience, spends the most time in this metaphysical state, guiding the plot through narration and some interaction with key characters. As Stage Manager, Deborah Aikins held true to Wilder's minimalistic style and created the foundation on which the story was formed. In terms of casting, Aikins was without a doubt an excellent choice. Combining her clear, definite voice with an unbiased narrative perspective, Aikins made for a wonderfully impartial speaker. The cast, which was handpicked by student directors Tyler Saison and Patrick Dover, consisted of not only experienced actors but also included individuals with no prior experience. A prime example of this was lead actor Bryce Whalen (George Gibbs). Even though this was his very first show, Whalen managed to pull off a marvelous performance, virtually clear of any major folly.

It is a tradition at Lillian Osborne High School for students in Grade 12 to direct the year's full length production. For the production of Our Town, Tyler Saison and Patrick Dover were given the immense duty of pulling cast and crew together by the performance date, and they certainly managed to do so. All rehearsals were done outside of school hours, and Saison and Dover certainly used their time well. To maintain consistency with Wilder's motif of minimalism, Saison and Dover chose to showcase their play in a simple black box theatre with a sparse set. The two directors used every aspect of the stage to their advantage, even going as far as to switch up the audience's seat layout between acts. It's clear that Saison and Dover put a great deal of hard work into making every aspect of their production as effective as possible.

Wilder has often said that Our Town is one of his favourite works and while it is rarely done to his satisfaction – being the complicated play that it is – Lillian Osborne's cast and crew tackled this challenge admirably.

Samantha Horkulak
Millwoods Christian School
Submitted for publication to Edmonton Journal 4

As dawn breaks over an empty stage, a simple town filled with love and emotion is brought to life by the talented cast and crew of Lillian Osborne High school in their student-directed rendition of Our Town.

First performed in 1938 at McCarther Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, this three-act play became an instant hit. It later had multiple successes on Broadway and won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1938. Written by American playwright Thornton Wilder, Our Town focuses on the fictional town of Grover's Corners. Throughout the play, Wilder uses meta-theatrical devices to bring the set-less and prop-less story to reality through the use of mime and the use of narration by the Stage Manager. Wilder illustrates the lives of the people in the simple town and brings to light the things we miss while rushing through life.

Relaying the lives of the people in Grover's Corners was the Stage Manager, Deborah Aikins. Through flawlessly delivered descriptions, Aikins painted the lives of the characters with expert conviction and cohesive ability. Perfect miming and motherly care by Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs (Janessa Gritter and Kiara Psiurski) brought audience hands to hearts and tears to eyes. The pair showed the highs and lows of life and motherhood with nearly effortless characterization.

Sydney Jinjoe, as Emily Webb, possessed an innocence that made her character lovable. Her raw emotion enchanted the audience, as did her beautiful chemistry with Bryce Whalen, who played George Gibbs, Jinjoe's childhood friend and love interest. Whalen's physicality and commitment made his character memorable. The bond the couple shared was strong enough to portray the love and heartbreak that comes in life through speech and silence, capturing the hearts of the audience. Markus Gaenzle left a significant mark on stage through his multiple roles. His portrayals varied from a milkman to a swaggering drunkard, a wheezy professor to an excited young boy. Gaenzle took his roles and made them outstanding, adding unique characteristics to each individual he played.

Though the set simply consisted of six chairs and two ladders, the cast was able to show the audience the charming town and the day to day bustle of its people. The costumes were period accurate and represented the personalities of the individual characters. Not only was Our Town well performed, it was entirely student directed by Patrick Dover and Tyler Saison, making the production even more impressive. The two wholeheartedly committed their time and effort to their cast and crew, thus creating an excellent show.

As the Stage Manager states, "everybody knows deep in their bones that something is eternal;" the touching message and dedication of the students of Lillian Osborne High School will leave a lasting impression with their performance of the renowned American classic, Our Town.

Nathan Juguilon
Blessed Oscar Romero
Submitted for publication to Edmonton Journal 5

Lillian Osborne High School's latest rendition of the American classic Our Town brought to life the story of a small New Hampshire town, Grover's Corners, and the lives of its residents. Illustrating the beauty and grace of simplicity through all elements of the production, their performance was highly thought-provoking.

Written in 1938 by American playwright Thornton Wilder, the three-act play examines the everyday lives and customs of Grover's Corners' inhabitants, emphasizing the elegance of life and how it should be treasured. First performed in 1938 at the McCarter Theatre, its popularity skyrocketed and it went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama that same year.

Sticking to Wilder's vision for the play, Lillian Osborne High School's production of Our Town was authentic and memorable. Despite only having a budget of $76, for the show, the cast and crew were successful in establishing the setting of the story through period-appropriate costumes. The world of the play was further created by the actors who used mime to illustrate props and distinguish each location.

Deborah Aikins as the Stage Manager guided the story, moving it forward with efficiency, explaining and observing with charm. Throughout the show she maintained character, even when breaking the fourth wall.

Markus Gaenzle took on numerous roles within the play bringing out the unique personality of each one through befitting character traits. Portraying characters such as Professor Willard, Gaenzle provided comedic relief to the beautifully simple story of Our Town.

Despite this being his first ever acting experience, Bryce Whalen seared the stage with his portrayal of boy-next-door George Gibbs. With the ability to give off emotion even in silence, Whalen was able to set the tone and mood of the story.

In this deliberately minimalist production, the few technical elements present were precise and effective. The lighting and sound effects controlled by Rohan Sample and Nick Yang were neatly and efficiently executed, assisting the play in moving forward.

Despite some occasional struggles, the whole cast and crew of Lillian Osborne High School's production of Our Town were ultimately successful in conveying the story's simple yet meaningful messages and thoughts about life. This performance surely left the audience pondering those messages long after they exited the confines of the theatre.