Director's Notes About the Play
Welcome to the fall play at Ridgewood High School. Looking at all the possible plays
available for high school students, one play always comes out the favorite; that play is Our
Town. Our Town has long been popular for American high school students to
perform and audiences around the world to watch. It is considered the quintessential plays
about American life. Adults love to watch it, students like to learn about it, and
critics herald it still. Why does a play about a small, dull town in New Hampshire deserve
so much credit? One of the reasons is that it encompasses many of the values we hold as
Americans. It espouses religious freedom, a strong family unit, hard work, an appreciation
of natural surroundings, love as the basis of a strong marriage, and respect for other
human beings no matter what that person’s situation is.
But to go even further, the play also reminds us of the everyday routine and comforting
aspects of life. We all grow up, we all fight with our brothers and sisters, we move away
from our parents, sometimes we fall in love, and we die leaving others to mourn. It is the
cycle of life that we see through the eyes of the inhabitants of Grover’s Corners. It
is this cycle that makes us human; it makes us be alive. Our Town reminds us to
look at the good thingsin life again.
I hope you enjoy our presentation of Our Town. Thanks you for supporting the
Ridgewood Drama Club.
Sincerely,
Kristin Lohrentz
Director
Ridgewood Reporter Story
- RHS actors overcome adverse conditions
- Ridgewood Reporter March 1997 (Volume 12, Issue 5)
