'Our Town' returns to the MPC theater after almost 20 years.

There is no single, universally acknowledged list of the "top" American plays, but Our Town by Thornton Wilder is in the first 10 on most of them. 

Its relevance was proven once again in 2024, when this 1938 Pulitzer Prize winner returned to Broadway, with The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons as George Gibbs and Katie Holmes as Emily Webb—whose childhood, courtship and marriage in a small, fictional town Grover’s Corner makes for the plot of the play. This classic American story that praises the happiness of everyday life has been staged, studied and watched for almost 100 years now, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. 

Yet, according to Todd Siff, the theater arts department chair at Monterey Peninsula College, it’s been almost 20 years since Our Town was shown on the Monterey Peninsula in 2006.

“This is one of those plays every theater person should experience,” Siff says. “We have all these recent plays, but students should learn classics, too—Wilder, Arthur Miller or Tennessee Williams.”

In MPC’s production of Our Town, George Gibbs is played by Gilbert Wright and Emily Webb is played by Tara Mann. The story of the couple and other inhabitants of the town is guided by the Stage Manager’s gentle narration (MPC alumna Faith Beety), thanks to whom the characters and the audience can move in time, from George and Emily’s wedding to Emily’s final speech that takes her back from the grave to the day of her 12th birthday. 

Siff was first exposed to Our Town in high school and with passing years, the play has been growing on him, revealing “pockets of wisdom,” he says. 

“The play is spiritual but not religious,” he continues. “It reminds us that we can and should find gratitude for life itself. We live in a fantastic country and in a fantastic world. It’s so easy to find faults in our lives, but we should embrace the simplicity and just enjoy being with each other. The students are deeply connected with this universal message, and we shared tears together.”

To inspire them even more, Siff recruited one of the producers of the 2024 Broadway show to connect via Zoom and talk to the students. It’s the third time he has a chance to direct Our Town in his career and the first at MPC, where he's been chair for three years.

The show includes 27 cast members and 10 crew members; seven roles of older characters were given to community members. Scenic design was done by Katie Cardinalli, lighting design by Danie L. Taylor and costume design by Lori Calderia. Props and fabrication are brought by Tara Devlin and the actual stage manager for the play is Erika Francisco.

Our Town is performed 7pm Thursdays-Saturdays and 2pm Sundays, Nov. 13 to Nov. 23. Monterey Peninsula College Theatre, 980 Fremont St., Monterey. $5-$20. (831) 645-1360, mpc.edu.