The Rhinebeck High School Drama Club tried something a little different in giving a stellar performance over three days of presenting Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.”
“We’ve done a lot of comedies,” said sophomore McKinley Gentile, who played Emily Webb. “‘Our Town’ is more of a drama, but not too dramatic. It has a really powerful message that we haven’t come across in the past couple of shows.”
Senior Amaia Hayes is president of the Rhinebeck High School Drama Club and played the role of Rebecca Gibbs.
“We’ve been working since September to put this show together. Everyone worked so hard,” she said. “It’s definitely a different theme than past shows. Having it be such a serious tone, it’s something as a cast we had to work together and learn different acting techniques.”
The young actors praised the work of new director Tiffany McGehee, who moved to the area over the summer and took over the director’s role in September.
“She’s fantastic,” said Gentile. “She’s worked so hard to whip us into shape. She’s such an incredible acting coach. We all worked incredibly hard to get everything down, and we’ve all been here for long hours the past couple of weeks to get everything in place.”
“Our Town” is one of Wilder’s four major plays to win a Pulitzer Prize, receiving the honor in 1938. The play looks at the residents living in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners, N.H., which was inspired by the New Hampshire town of Peterborough. The stage manager tells the story of the town and its residents.
“Our Town” features three acts: The Daily Life, Love and Marriage, and Something Eternal.
“It’s been a wonderful process,” said McGehee. “They’ve been so free and open with a drama when they’ve been so used to comedies and fun musicals. This is new to them, and they’ve been very open to the process, taking it seriously while still having fun.
“It’s been fun getting to know them, push them along in the process and help them grow and develop further as actors. They should be incredibly proud of all the work they’ve put into it.”