Our Town was a hit at CSULB

George Gibbs (Jordan Laurence Digby) and Emily Webb (Jessica Oliver)

Jordan Laurence Digby (George) and Avery Henderson (Rebecca Gibbs)

All photos above courtesy of University Players taken by Keith Ian Polakoff

Theater Department's Our Town was a big hit among CSULB students on its opening night Friday which gave everyone a glimpse of what simplicity is—such as love and finding your own life path.

Managing to find a spot in the packed studio at the Theater Arts Building, you'd be sitting with cast members as they sing when the play opens up. Trevor Biship, the play's director, had an objective of modernizing Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer-Award winning 1938 play Our Town to the year of 2009.

“Our production is imagining this 1938 play for a contemporary audience by setting it in 2009,” Biship said. “In making the specific choice of seeing how Wilder's language, characters and conflicts resonate with a contemporary America, I hope that all audience members will be affected in a new way by the seminal American play.”

As you may be aware of, iPods, laptop computers, Blackberry devices, cell phones, Bluetooth and the Internet has led to less face to face interaction between people. However, the characters in Our Town face the same issues as today's young people do—finding first love and finding a life path, according to Biship—which was his main reason for bringing this 1939 play to life today in 2009.

After cast members in the audience stop singing, they help the audience to get acclimated with whereabouts on stage, such as the grocery store, home and the park—which are the main elements that you see in a small town.

The the play moves on reflecting common desires that young people have, such as seeking the first kiss, being a teenager, fighting with parents for more independence and self-identity, getting married and finding a life path.

Yet, during the majority of the play you will watch the evolution of the love relationship between George Gibbs and Emily Webb, a teenage couple in love. “What changed? Will you have a shake with me before you go?”

George asked Emily for their date which eventually led to marriage. However, at the end, a tragedy is waiting to happen. You'd discover what it is with George and Emily.

Running until Oct.24, performances are from Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and on Saturday at 2 p.m. For tickets, call (562) 985-5526.