PLAY IDEA WORKSHEET & VIEWING & READING OUR TOWN

Melody Vissman

Plot & Characters: Give a clear overview/synopsis of the plot. Ask and answer the

questions, “What Identify the main character by asking and answering the question,

“Whose story is it?” After choosing a main character, describe that character and

other supporting characters.

Plot

First, the play starts off with the with the introduction from the narrator. He introduces the audience to the town and the main characters of the play. We can see what normal everyday life looks like for all of the characters. The mothers cook and clean, children going to school, and husbands going to work. It was traditional families whose children respects the parents very much. This leads us to the rising action of the play. The rising action of the play is when George and Emily start falling in love and going on a date together. This leads to them getting married even though they were both very nervous. Next it comes to the Climax/Turning point. After the couple got married it jumped 13 years ahead and Emily dies during childbirth. Emily wants to be able to relive a happy memory of a day in life while being dead and is trying her hardest to enjoy it. This leads to the falling action of the play. Emily realizes that time moves to fast, and she is just observing. She cannot really connect in the moment, so she decides to return to where she is meant to be. Last the resolution of the play, Emily realizes living humans do not understand what death is like and the narrator closes out the scene by saying tomorrow is a new day and everyone rests at some point.

Characters

· Narrator

· Mr. and Mrs. Gibs (George’s Parents)

· Mr. and Mrs. Webs (Emily’s Parents)

· Emily (Main Character)

· George

· Many other characters that add to the play, but are not main characters such as, the milk man, the paper boy, George and Emily’s siblings etc.

Main Character

To me the main character is Emily. Even though people may choose another character I believe Emily is the central character. It revolved around Emily wandering if she is “pretty enough” to attract mean. Then it led to her liking, dating, and marrying George. Then the death and climax revolved around her. Finally, the resolution of her excepting what has happened and wishing she could relive the happy times also surrounded her.

Theme:

1. I believe that this play was about the concept that life is short and life in the moment and apricate the little things in life. To me the play is saying to the audience and portraying to them how living and apricating life is important. Also, it was showing how their normal life is and what is expected.

2. Another theme could be tied into the idea above; Humans are Blind to the importance of life

Language:

The characters speak in a more mannered and old-fashioned tone. For example: when they would say things like “oh papa” or “it’s about dawn and the roosters are about to crow” or “there is the 5:10 train in town.” You can just tell by how they talk and the comments they make that it is more of an old-fashioned language.

Staging: Note the movement and stillness of people and things on the stage. How are

are characters positioned in relation to one another? What stage pictures are

created?

The staging was not still. People were moving around getting everything set up in the very beginning of the play and you could see the people change the scenes when they needed too. As for stage pictures the narrator lays out to the audience the houses, school, diner, outside the house, or the top of a hill at a graveyard.

Acting: Is the acting contained or broad? Is it realistic or non-realistic? Is it credible?

Can you get lost in the story? Is there are discrepancy between the actors and the

characters?

The acting to me was a little bit of both broad and contained. They had to use pantomime for most props however, the gestures were not extremely dramatic. To me the play was realistic and everything that happened in this play could happen in real life. It is very easy to get lost in the story because everything the actors do is very believable and easy for the audience to except. I do not see a discrepancy between the actors and the characters everyone blended and played their parts very well.

Scenery: What are the scenic pieces? Does the scenery change? How much? What

shapes, textures, colors are used? How does the scenery interact with the costumes

and lighting? How does the scenery help dramatize the story?

The scenic pieces were general little things like a table and chairs. Everything else they used in the play was imaginary. For example, doors, sinks, a school, a house. The scenery never really changes too much. They use the narration and the mind to create the scenes. The props, if used, were neutral colors like brown, black, or white. The scenery allows for any type of lighting and for it to almost blend if lighting was not being used. The scenery dramatizes the play in a way where it makes the actors and audience use their imagination and skills. Made for a great play.

Costumes: What costumes clothe the actors? What shapes do they make, what?

silhouettes? Do characters change costumes throughout the play? What shapes,

textures, colors are used. How do the costumes interact with the scenery and?

lighting? How do the costumes light help dramatize the story?

The costumes of the characters are old-time dresses and or skirts for the lady’s and nicely dressed outfits for the men. The look and style of the costumes never really change it is the style of that era.

Lighting: What is the lighting doing? What colors are used? When, if ever, is the light

concentrated or broad, bright or dim? What direction does the light come from?

How does the light help dramatize the story?

The lighting has many functions during this play. The light was dim or fades out when the next scene was ending. Also, the lighting would be dark, or blue was it was around death or sadness. It showed when it was morning or night, for example, when it was dawn, and everyone was getting ready to wake up the lighting went from darker to light. The light helps dramatize the story because it shows the different moods of the characters or situation. The light was bright during happy moments like the wedding and dim during sad moments like the death of Emily.

Conventions: What are the “codes of meaning” used by the production to

communicate to the audience? Compare the conventions we discovered in Story

Theatre and Small House of Uncle Thomas.

· Narration – the play is run mainly by narration. He explained to the audience what was happening or what has happened. For example, in the beginning the narrator is explaining the what is in the town and where things were. He also would tell the audience how much time has passed and what the current situation was.

· Pantomime – In the play they did not really have any props and had to act out everything. For example, the milk man was not actually carrying milk and they had to act like he was handing the stuff for real. Also, the milk man had a horse that did not exist and had to pretend to pet him and walk with him. Another example would be the paper boy throwing imaginary paper into yards. The entire play was filled with pantomime like this.

· Imaginary things – the audience has to believe and except all of the things the actors were portraying. They had to except that even though the props were imaginary that they were real and exist. Also, they had to except the location even when the stage did not change.

· Addressing the audience – The entire play the narrator is addressing the audience to make sure they know what is happening.

· Past/Present/Future - This play takes place, I believe, in the past. In the very beginning of the play the narrator makes everyone know that some of the characters were dead. The play was showing how the order of things happened in these family’s lives.