Editor’s note: Story and photos of a dress rehearsal are courtesy of Tom Ganser.
The Whitewater High School (WHS) Players will be presenting Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” Feb. 29 – March 2 at 7 p.m. and March 3 at 2 p.m. in the James M. Stewart Auditorium.
General admission tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling the box office at 262-472-8178.
“Our Town” (1938) is considered to be Wilder’s best work for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play is centered on Grover’s Corners, a fictional town in New Hampshire between 1901 and 1913.
Jim McCulloch serves as director and Kat Dunham as technical director. Cast members include Deven Bawden, Chacha Binagi, Payton Bunger, Ayden Clark, Alex Clarksen, Grace Coleman, Estaban Diaz-Gallegos, David Enns, Haley Keltesch, Marina Linos, Kara Long, Brooke Mason, Sam Nickelsburg, Hayleigh Pond, A’lani Ross, Josey Selby, Taylor Speerbrecher, Greg Stewart, Alex Sullivan, Ava Van Daele, and Willow Vogelzang.
Students supporting the production in a variety of capacities include Rae Breisath, Alexsa Cansino-Pena, Emerson Dunham, Ace Hudec, Gabi Kirley, Taiya Kolb, Kara Long, Kayla Mikos, Miles Nickelsburg, Ava Nygren, Joshua Nygren, Payton Peacock, Lucille Troxel, Samantha Van Daele and Matt Zingsheim.
Sophomore Devin Bawden plays multiple roles, including Joe Crowell, whom he describes as “a jock, playing baseball, and having a good aim” – very different from his last role as Glenn Coco, a “nerd and mathlete,” in “Mean Girls, High School Version.”
Admitting that preparing for the role of Joe Crowell has been surprisingly easy, Bawden said that whereas Joe Crowell is an athlete involved in sports, he himself is “chill and part of the Drama Club.” Bawden also shared, “One thing about being an actor in ‘Our Town’ that can apply to real life is having confidence.”
The WHS Players has partnered with the Whitewater Historical Society to present “Streets of Whitewater,” including a detailed collection of historic photographs, artifacts, and stories of the early days of Whitewater that will be on display before each performance.
The Whitewater Unified School District invites the community to the dedication of the high school’s auditorium to honor school board member James (Jim) M. Stewart on Saturday, March 2, at 5:30 p.m., before the performance.
