The 3rd Floor Theatre will be presenting “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder the weekend of August 23-25 at the Stepz Dance Studio in Union City.
The 3rd Floor is a local business dedicated to serving Union City by presenting the arts in a variety of ways and reaching out to the populace in order to help everyone reach their full artistic potential.
“Our Town” is a play with minimal props and virtually no set. It is set in the early twentieth century and portrays the ins and outs of everyday life of the inhabitants of one particular fictional town: Grover’s Corners.
A production such as “Our Town” forces the actors to rely on their own skills to portray scenes, without help from surroundings or scenery. They must be able to convince the audience of exactly what they are doing, while only pantomiming the motions.
This will be the first production for The 3rd Floor.
“Each directing experience is different; one is not like the other … in our case, our version of “Our Town” is presented in the round … in this way, the audience is almost forced to take part in the performance,” said Jonathan Johnson, the director.
Johnson is an alumnus of UTM and a board member of The 3rdFloor.
“Theatre in the round” is a type of theatre production in which the audience completely surrounds the stage area. This will be the first time that Union City has ever had a play “in the round.”
“You just wait until you see it; it’s totally different from anything else you’re going to experience. It’s fabulous, absolutely fantastic, absolutely revolutionary,” said Susie Fleenor, producer of “Our Town,” as well as a board member for The Third Floor.
Fleenor expressed her high hopes for the performance.
“I knew what they [the actors] could do. Under the right influence, under the right director– and I knew that Jonathan was the right director – 100 percent the right director to get these people to bring it and shine. I think what we’re doing here is so different from what you’ll see anywhere else, and it’s not necessarily better … it’s just different. I think it’s going to exceed expectations.”
The play follows the story of Emily Webb and George Gibbs, two regular people living ordinary lives, highlighting the beauty in everyday occurrences.
The part of Emily will be played by two alternating young women. Rebecca Robb, a junior at Obion County Central High School, will be playing the part of Emily on Friday Aug. 23 and Sunday Aug. 25.
“I know there are going to be a lot of nerves, but you know, nerves are a good thing. Nerves keep you on edge– I’m hoping opening night will be very, very good,” Robb said.
Kait Scott will play Emily on Saturday Aug. 24.
“Hopefully all will go well, but of course, as opening nights are, things are going to happen. But I know the actors well enough to know that we will all pick up each other’s mistakes. It’ll run very smoothly, I hope,” Scott said.
“Our Town” performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 23-24 and at 2 p.m. on Aug. 25. There is no charge for admission, but donations will be gladly accepted. Doors will open at 7 p.m. and seats will be filled on a first-come-first-serve basis. Reservations can be made on The Third Floor’s website, www.the3rdfloor.us. Saturday is currently booked. However, seating for the Friday and Sunday performances is still available.
“They [the actors] take you on a journey. You get to go on a trip back in time, to experience this the way you’re supposed to. They bring it,” Fleenor said.
For more information, contact The 3rd Floor at 731-335-6488 or visit their website.
