Who better to inspire an island-wide reading event than three-time Pulitzer prize winner Thornton Wilder?
Orcas Library is sponsoring “Orcas Reads,” a month-long celebration of Wilder’s two famous works: the play “Our Town” and the novel “The Bridge of San Luis Rey,” which is set in Peru and tells the story of several interconnected people who die in the collapse of a bridge.
“Even in this day of always-available communication, island dwellers feel isolated from the rest of the world,” said Holly King, public services librarian. “Every birth is a celebration, and every death an examination of where that person fit into the community as a whole. Wilder’s examination of the five lives that were lost upon the collapse of the bridge teaches us that love and personal relationships are of utmost importance in one’s life.”
Wilder was an American playwright and novelist who received three Pulitzer prizes – one for “The Bridge of San Luis Rey” and two for his plays “Our Town” and the “Skin of Our Teeth.” He also won a National Book Award for his novel “The Eighth Day.” He died in 1975.
King encourages local book clubs to choose “San Luis Rey” as its next selection; free discussion guides are available.
The library is hosting a kick-off soiree on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 3:30 p.m. at Emmanuel Parish with Peruvian cooking classes by Christina Orchid and 50 free copies of “San Luis Rey.” King asks participants to bring items that represent a “snapshot in time” to be included in the library’s display case. Originally it was set for Jan. 17, but was rescheduled due to snow.
“Pick something you would put in a time capsule,” she said.
There will also be a film showing at Orcas Center and multiple book discussions. Watch for dates in upcoming editions of the Islands’ Sounder.
Production of “Our Town”
The Friends of Orcas Library and the Orcas Community Foundation are co-funding a production of “Our Town” at Orcas Center.
The three-act play is a character study of the citizens of an average early 20th century American town. People grow up, get married, live and die. Milk and the newspaper get delivered every morning, and nobody locks their front doors.
Wilder set the play in a 1930s theater and used the stage manager’s narration to create the town of Grover’s Corners for the audience. The work defies most conventional theatrical genres. It is neither a comedy nor a tragedy, neither a romance nor a farce. It is a contemplative work concerning the human experience.
“Our Town” will show on the OffCenter Stage at 7:30 p.m. from Jan. 20 to 22. Due to snowy weather conditions, the center added a Sunday performance.
“The relationships that mature on stage are revealed not by great scenes of action and emotion, but rather by the simple act of conversation,” King said. “And through these conversations the world of Grover’s Corners is illuminated. Here on Orcas, we find ourselves checking in with each other over the produce in the market. We see each other in church, at choir, and in the library.”
Orcas actress and singer Grace McCune is making her directorial debut with help from assistant director Natasha Meskew. The cast is made up of island youth ages eight to 17. The only adult cast member is Antoinette Botsford, who plays the narrator.
“She is a master storyteller so she is the perfect person to be telling the story of ‘Our Town,’” McCune said.
Cast members are: Sky Bear Aguilar, Sabrina Bailey, Kellen Comrie, Brigid Ehrmantraut, Stormy Hildreth, Sorrel Hughes, Alanna Lago, Cierra Lutz, Clarabeth Smith, Nate Smith, Olivia Smith, Violet Sturk, Tori Sturk, Maggie Thomas, Evelyn Thurman and Meg Waage.
The kids have been in rehearsals since the end of September. They meet three times a week after school and McCune said they have been “really dedicated.”
“I’ve enjoyed the directing experience,” she said. “It’s a fun way of being creative from the other side of things. When I agreed to do it, I thought it would be a great way to expand what I do.”
Eight-year-old Evelyn Thurman, who is playing “lady in the balcony,” said McCune is a great director who “really helps us understand things.”
McCune says the play has been a learning experience for the kids.
“The two lead characters are very young when they meet, and then they fall in love in high school and get married right out of high school,” she said. “It’s a different perspective for them to see that’s how it was done back then … we’ve stayed close to the original production of it. The costumes are all from that era. The way it was written, it was really written for that time. The dialogue is not modern. The views expressed, like the politics of the time, are much different than they would be today. So I chose to go with the traditional way of doing it.”
McCune says Orcas can expect a “really neat” community event.
“Thornton wanted to get the message across that while we are alive, we need to live life to the fullest,” she said. “That’s the moral of the story.”
Ticket information for ‘Our Town,’Jan. 19 to 21 on the OffCenter stage
‘Our Town’ will be performed Jan. 19 to 21 on Orcas Center’s OffCenter stage at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $11 for students ($2 off for Orcas Center members) To purchase tickets or find out more about this production, call Orcas Center at 376-2281 or go to www.orcascenter.org.
