The cast of Broadway's upcoming Our Town revival kicked off rehearsals August 12 with a field trip to Peterborough, New Hampshire, the quaint New England town where Thornton Wilder wrote the Pulitzer-winning work about a quaint New England town. See the starry, 28-person cast onsite in New Hampshire in the gallery below.
The cast began the day dining at the Peterborough Diner, after which they got a brief town tour from former Peterborough Players Artistic Director Gus Kaikkonen. Then it was off to MacDowell, the artistic center where Wilder worked on Our Town in 1937. Following opening remarks from director Kenny Leon and a presentation from scenic designer Beowulf Boritt, the company held a full read through of the play at MacDowell's Bond Hall.
Company of Our Town
Richard Thomas and Ephraim Sykes
Doron JéPaul and Ephie Aardema Sarnak
Zoey Deutch
Jim Parsons and Julie Halston
Ephraim Sykes
Gus Kaikkonen leading the company of Our Town around Peterborough
Zoey Deutch and Ephraim Sykes
Kenny Leon, Katie Holmes, and Jim Parsons outside of where Thorton Wilder wrote Our Town
Hagan Oliveras, Katie Holmes, Richard Thomas, Zoey Deutch, Jim Parsons, Ephraim Sykes,Michelle Wilson, Safiya Kaijya Harris, and Billy Eugene Jones in front of Veltin, the studio where Thorton Wilder finished writing Our Town at MacDowell
Company of Our Town
Our Town's 1st read through at MacDowell
Katie Holmes
Beowulf Borrit
Kenny Leon, Katie Holmes, Ricardo Vázquez, Zoey Deutch, and Ephie Aardema Sarnak
Billy Eugene Jones, Ephraim Sykes, Jim Parsons, and Michelle Wilson
Jim Parsons at MacDowell
Zoey Deutch at MacDowell
Company of Our Town with the staff of the Peterborough Diner
Safiya Kaijya Harris, Ephraim Sykes, and Michelle Wilson
Richard Thomas at the Peterborough Diner
Jim Parsons and Julie Halston at the Peterborough Diner
Performances are set to begin September 17 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Opening night will be October 10.
The starry cast includes Jim Parsons (Mother Play) as Stage Manager, Zoey Deutch (Not Okay) as Emily Webb, Katie Holmes (The Wanderers) as Mrs. Webb, Billy Eugene Jones (Purlie Victorious) as Dr. Gibbs, Ephraim Sykes (Ain't Too Proud) as George Gibbs, Richard Thomas (To Kill a Mockingbird) as Mr. Webb, Michelle Wilson (Sweat) as Mrs. Gibbs, Julie Halston (You Can't Take It with You) as Mrs. Soames, and Donald Webber Jr. (Purlie Victorious) as Simon Stimson.
Ephie Aardema, Heather Ayers, Willa Bost, Bobby Daye, Safiya Kaijya Harris, Doron JéPaul, Shyla Lefner, Anthony Michael Lopez, John McGinty, Bryonha Marie, Kevyn Morrow, Hagan Oliveras, Noah Pyzik, Sky Smith, Bill Timoney, Ricardo Vázquez, Matthew Elijah Webb, Greg Wood, and Nimene Sierra Wureh round out the company. Casting is by Jim Carnahan.
Joining Leon on the creative team are scenic designer Boritt, costume designer Dede Ayite, lighting designer Allen Lee Hughes, sound designer Justin Ellington, hair, wig, and makeup designer J. Jared Janas, and dialect coach Kate Wilson.
The 1938 play centers on life in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, between 1901 and 1931. The work has become one of the most beloved in the repertoire, and one of the most frequently produced. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama the year it premiered and has been revived on Broadway in 1944, 1969, 1989, and 2003.
Producing the upcoming revival are Jeffrey Richards, Hunter Arnold, Patty Baker, Craig Balsam, Irene Gandy, Rebecca Gold, Louise Gund, Willette & Manny Klausner, M/B/P Productions, Daryl Roth, and Jayne Baron Sherman.
Tickets are available at the newly open Barrymore box office and online at OurTownBroadway.com.
