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Ariella Kim

MOM ENERGY. Madeline Kim, who plays Mrs. Gibbs, and Grace Medrano, who plays Mrs. Webb, run lines during one of their scenes as the matriarchs of their families.

Our Town is an American classic, and, according to US Theater Director Eric Severson, that’s no accident. Severson said he hopes the fall play will both challenge and unify the cast at a time when the country is so divided.

Originally performed in the 1930, Our Town the play is set in a small town in New Hampshire. Its three acts follow the lives of Emily and George.

Eleanor Putaski, who plays Emily, said her favorite part of the play comes at the end of the third act.

“It shows how much the little things matter in life,” Putaski said, “and how much we can take things for granted. It shows the beauty and happiness as well as the sadness and regret that comes with looking back on different stages of your life.”

Some of the play’s hallmarks are its minimalist sets and mimed props. The US Theater rendition will keep these elements.

Sophomore Sofia Rivera said of the space, “It’s very simple, so there aren’t any props,… everything will be mimed, which is really crazy to think about, but I think it’ll be really cool.”

US Theater Director Eric Severson is leaning into the show’s origins: “We’re looking at having some live Foley Sound effects from off stage… if somebody’s like reading the newspaper and likes turning the page as we hear it, we’ll hear… crickets at night and just some different things… there’s a carriage, the milkman has his horse and his buggy. So we’ll hear like the clumping of horses and … the jingling of milk bottles…to help the audience’s imagination.”

The production’s history is not the only part of this story. Though Our Town is very old, Severson had a reason for picking it to perform now. He said he always follows his gut when picking a show, and while thinking about this year’s fall play, he thought about the timing around this year’s performance: three weeks after the election.

Knowing the timing and the tension around the election, Severson said, “Not knowing the outcome of the election or anything, I mean — no matter what it is — there’s going to be some chaos and some contention in our world. I think everyone can agree on that no matter what. I was really trying to think of a show that would help both the entire lcast and crew and company that is performing it to be able to come together and work together towards something beautiful at that time.”

As a show that focuses on being a community, through changes good and bad, Our Town may just be the old message everyone needs this fall.

Our Town performs on the Huss stage Nov. 22-23 at 7 p.m. Performances are free.