Thornton Wilder’s play, Our Town, set in the fictional hamlet of Grover’s Corners, was first performed in 1938. The story is deceptively simple, and it will bring you to your knees.
In the years since, audiences have wept for Emily, a character whose short life punctuates the message that life is beautiful and meant to be cherished. Now, Chuck King, executive director of the Alma Education and Arts Foundation, is bringing the play to the Skokos Performing Arts Center on August 9, 10 and 11.
The showing coincides with Alma’s one hundred fiftieth birthday, a revelation that surprised Chuck when he realized the date. He believes the timing was destined.
While the Skokos Center is known for bringing in professional touring companies, it also promotes local talent. In that spirit, Chuck put out an open call in May. Forty cast members were chosen, with the role of Emily going to Maddie Cochran, a 2023 Alma High School graduate who is now a theatre major at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. Maddie’s dad, Amos, has written music for the play.
Alma alumnus Hunter Seegers will play the role of George, Emily’s sweetheart. Director Audra Bocksnick (MA from New York University) oversees Almas Middle School’s theatre program. Her husband, Shane, will play the part of the stage manager, arguably the role that ties the entire production together.
The remainder of the cast comes from Alma and surrounding areas, including Fort Smith Southside High School’s theatre teacher, Amy Pumphrey. The costume designer is Abigail Freeman, who’s worked on several films.
In Act Two, there is a wedding. To immerse the audience in the experience, intermission will include a wedding reception, complete with wedding cake and strawberry ice cream sundaes.
Downtown Alma will also have a street festival the weekend of August 10. Chuck says it’s not to be missed. He wants everyone to experience the tight-knit community he loves.
“It’s a place where everyone knows everyone, and we understand that when something happens to one of us, it happens to all of us. That’s the kind of community it is.”
It might as well be Grover’s Corners because Alma is Our Town.
Our Town
August 9, 10, 11
Skokos Performing Arts Center
103 East Main, Alma
Tickets start at $29. Visit skokospac.org or call 479.632.2129.
WORDS Marla Cantrell
IMAGES courtesy Skokos Performing Arts Center and Imagery by PD
