Our Town
at Fountain Valley

Reviewed on November 7, 2018

Sierra Young
San Juan Hills
Submitted for publication to OC Register

Fountain Valley ponders the meaning of life in "Our Town"
written by Sierra Young, a senior at San Juan Hills High School

Grover's Corners is a simple town full of simple people. Each goes about their day- doing chores, delivering milk, going to school- with little appreciation for the simple joys of life. Fountain Valley's production of "Our Town" takes the audience through the joys and pains of this world, culminating in a story that leaves the audience pondering their own awareness.

Contrasting each other as narrators of the show, Stage Managers Sage Delaney and Delaney Schultz control the space. Sage Delaney's expressive narration greets the audience with a wave, while the Delaney Schultz blankly stares ahead. Confident in their speaking, they guide the audience through the progression of the show and introduce the town of Grover's Corners.

George and Emily, portrayed by Bryan Noble and Vivian McDivit respectively, share nervous tension as the audience follows their budding romance. They begin with an immature infatuation, fidgeting as they speak, but later become more confident in their interactions and blossom into husband and wife.

A standout among the cast is Amanda Hay as Mrs. Webb. Hay has a seemingly natural cadence as a mother raising her voice to demand her children's obedience. She comfortably interacts with the cast, establishing her maternal character through straight posture. As she wipes her hands on her apron and dabs sweat off her brow, she illustrates the steady and tiring work of a mother.

Costumes, designed by Crystal Martin, immediately establishes the monotonous nature of the town. The use of grey shirts and pants highlights the demeanor of each person in the town. The main characters, George and Emily, wear bright yellow and blue to show their heightened awareness of the world.

Alex Wittick's lighting defines the time of day in the town. He utilizes color to set the mood of each scene, most strikingly when lighting the funeral with stark white and hints of green and blue. As George and Emily study on their windowsills, blue light illuminates and highlights their faces as they fall in love with each other.

Fountain Valley's performance of "Our Town" highlights the monotony of life and death. Actors and technical elements combine to invite the audience into the town of Grover's Corners.

Brittany Fisheli
Fullerton Union
Submitted for publication to OC Facebook

Fountain Valley Shows the Daily Life of "Our Town"
written by Brittany Fisheli, a sophomore at Fullerton Union High School

Our Town is a piece about taking a closer look into the daily life of the Gibbs and Webb families, going through the characters' perspectives of how they live their everyday lives. The show embarks on the journey of Emily Webb and George Gibbs, showing their connection blossom from meeting each other, falling in love, and reaching the end of Emily's life.

The Stage Managers (portrayed by Sage Delaney and Delaney Schultz) narrate the sorrowful story with emotion and power, Delaney bringing a refreshing air of calmness and joy the stage. When introducing a character's backstory, Delaney and Schultz convincingly imitate the inner thoughts of the character in the context of the moment seamlessly, giving valuable context to an eager audience.

George Gibbs (portrayed by Bryan Noble) openly expresses every thought and emotion for the whole world to see: excitement, nerves, and even sadness. Noble personifies George as a little quirky. When marrying Emily Webb, nerves and excitement run through his veins; when death arises for Emily, his true reaction embodies the feeling of losing one of those closest to you. Falling to the ground in grief at Emily's grave, the audience can truly understand that he is indeed heartbroken.

Costume Designer, Crystal Martin, truly accentuates the contrast in each character through unique costumes. Stage managers were methodically doused in white from top to bottom, underlining that they are the narrators in this story. Alex Wittick's witty lighting design cleverly heightened the artistry of the piece, portraying a choir rehearsal by placing actors behind a sheer scrim with a piercing red light outlining the shapes, whilst not dividing the audience's attention from the main action downstage.

Fountain Valley High School's rendition of "Our Town" pulls in the audience to want more and tells a beautiful story that you will not want to miss.

Sydney Castiglione
Fullerton Union
Submitted for publication to OC Facebook

Fountain Valley shows Our Town is everybody's town
written by Sydney Castiglione, a junior at Fullerton Union High School

Grover's Corner is like any rural, small town one might find. Everyone knows everyone and helps when they can. People fall in love, and people die, but either way, the town will always be there to support and care for them.

The Stage Managers (Sage Delaney and Delaney Schultz) do a spectacular job of telling the story of Our Town, and being the backbone of the show. Delaney and Schultz play off each other in the way of a serious storyteller and a bubbly one. They make their transitions between narrators and people in the town seamlessly and almost unnoticeable. Both are able to portray the stage manager, and other characters, and both actors are very natural and confident in their delivery and presence.

Mrs. Webb (Amanda Hay) mothers the show effortlessly. She has terrific projection and articulation, allowing every word to be heard clearly, as well as incredible vocal variety. Hay's body language and posture showcases that she is the wise mother figure and true caretaker. George Gibbs (Bryan Noble) has remarkable character development throughout the play by showing his age progression throughout the character's life, primarily in maturity. Noble's relationships with everyone are shown special and unique, especially with his sister, Rebecca Gibbs (Faith Martin).

Costumes (Crystal Martin) show the simplicity of the town and how similar everyone is. Martin has the Stage Managers wearing all white, compared to the neutral earth tones of the townspeople. By doing this, she sets them apart as "godly" figures; narrators who are telling the story from a distance. The costumes also imply each person's role in society, with the mothers wearing aprons to show they work in the kitchen and the men wearing painter's pants, to show that they are the breadwinner for the family.

The lighting design (Alex Wittick) does an extraordinary job of conveying the mood of the show. With the use of a scrim, Wittick is able to light a choir from behind, therefore being able to give them attention, but without drawing too much focus away from the rest of the scene.

Our Town at Fountain Valley will make you truly appreciate the gift, and circle, of life.