Our Town, the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Thornton Wilder that playwright Edward Albee has called "probably the finest play ever written by an American," launches Palm Beach Dramaworks' fifteenth anniversary season on Friday, October 10 (8pm) at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre. Performances continue through November 9, with specially priced previews on October 8 and 9. 

Set in the fictional New Hampshire town of Grover's Corners, Our Town is a joyous, heartbreaking piece that celebrates the beauty of ordinary life. An omniscient Stage Manager guides the audience and the actors through the play, which focuses on the Webb and Gibbs families, particularly on the evolving relationship between Emily Webb and George Gibbs as they experience friendship, love, marriage, birth, and death. The original 1938 production was played on an almost bare stage, as per Wilder's instructions, and subsequent productions have kept scenery and props to a minimum as he wished, to underscore the universality of the play.
 

Our Town, directed by J. Barry Lewis,will showcase the largest ensemble ever assembled by PBD and feature many actors who have played a vital role in the company's history. The cast of 20 includes Colin McPhillamy (Stage Manager), Kenneth Kay (Dr. Gibbs), Elizabeth Dimon (Mrs. Gibbs), Quinn Coughlin (George Gibbs), Patti Gardner (Mrs. Webb), Dan Leonard (Mr. Webb), Emiley Kiser (Emily Webb), and Margery Lowe (Mrs. Soames), as well as Michael Collins, John Felix, Cliff Goulet, Dave Hyland, Hal Johnstone, Char Plotsky, Allie Beltran, Joe Ferrarelli, Sawyer Hyatt, Joshua Stoughton, Leandre Thivierge, and Patrick A. Wilkinson. Scenic and lighting design are by Paul Black, costume design is by Robin L. McGee, and sound design is by Matt Corey. 

Our Town, which is quite possibly the most performed play written by an American, was first produced at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ on January 22, 1938, and went on to Broadway two weeks later. Frank Craven was the Stage Manager; Wilder subbed for him for two weeks during the run and returned to the role several times in summer stock. Martha Scott made her Broadway debut in the original production as Emily Webb and subsequently played the role again in a 1940 film opposite William Holden as George Gibbs (Craven was again the Stage Manager), and a 1944 Broadway revival with Montgomery Clift as George. Other notable Stage Managers include Henry Fonda, Spalding Gray, Don Ameche, Paul Newman, and Hal Holbrook. There was also a 1955 musical adaptation for television, with Frank Sinatra as the Stage Manager, Eva Marie Saint as Emily, and Newman as George. (Wilder, it is said, was not impressed.) Most recently, a 2009 off-Broadway production directed by David Cromer received wide critical acclaim. Cromer also played the role of the Stage Manager; among his successors in the role was Helen Hunt.