Lafayette Campus News (www.lafayette.edu), October 18, 2007 — Arthur “A.J.” Ernst ’09 (Lawrenceville, N.J.) is majoring in English. Ernst is playing the role of Dr. Gibbs in the upcoming performance of Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Directed by Michael O’Neill, associate professor of English and director of theater, the production runs from Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. each evening in the Williams Center for the Arts. The following is a firsthand account of Ernst’s experiences with the play and the rehearsal process.
I am standing in the middle of Main Street in Grover’s Corner, a small town in New Hampshire, reading a newspaper after treating two young boys with colds the next town over. There are no houses on Main Street. There are no soda shops or kids playing ball or neighbors mowing their lawns. To my left is a woman who plays my wife, to my right is a man who plays my son, and in front of me are hundreds of empty seats, all awaiting an audience when opening night arrives.
Lafayette’s College Theater production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town is due to premiere Oct. 31 and run through Nov. 3. Director Michael O’Neill has been leading rehearsals since the middle of September and as I have attended most of these sessions, I have been able to watch him illuminate the genius that lies within one of our country’s greatest plays.
Working with Professor O’Neill has been a great pleasure for our entire cast. Although I know that he his very familiar with the text, with every practice he brings with him the excitement of discovering the play for the first time. Rarely will he instruct anyone with directions on what to do, but asks questions in order to spark motivation and meaning behind every actor’s choice.
One day, O’Neill came to practice with a dilemma for the cast. He asked us how it would feel to be dead. Everyone joined in the discussion and brought his or her own insight to the topic. Although this exercise seemed useless at the time, O’Neill quickly pointed out that half of the cast exists in the play after they die. He helped our cast find different experiences to draw on in order to find a way to perform that scene effectively. Although we could have produced Our Town without discussing the afterlife, the play would not be as good as it will be due to O’Neill’s aggressive attitude to explore the hardest aspects of the play.
Even with his help, most practices I would struggle with simpler tasks like mimicking sipping coffee or washing my hands in an invisible sink. I thought to myself that the time we spent rehearsing miming our actions could be spent other ways. It was not until I arrived late to rehearsal one night and had the ability to watch the show from a different perspective that I understood this choice.
As I looked at the stage I did not see intricately designed houses with luscious gardens. Instead of seeing homes filled with things, I saw the people that lived in them. With nothing else to look at, I found myself staring at my peers, watching them turn into characters that connected with me. I could see each of these people living in my home town. I began to see the impact that each of them played on each other and thought about the role I played in the neighborhood I grew up in.
For me, working on the play has shown me a new way of looking at the life I live. In a world where everyone appears to be valued by their money or class, Our Town showcases that the importance lies within the actual people, whether they are living, dead, or even imagined.
