<\/p>\n
The Dolores Theater Troupe will perform Thornton Wilder\u2019s classic \u201cOur Town\u201d at the high school on April 15 at 7 p.m. and on April 16 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
The play is considered challenging, explained theater director Pete Swingle, because it takes minimalist approach to costumes and sets, relying instead on pantomiming and expressive acting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt strips it down to the essence of theater,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to challenge my actors.\u201d<\/p>\n
The play examines ordinary lives in a small town, branches out to explore cosmic, universal truths, then brings it all back down to earth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw a comparison to small towns around here,\u201d Swingle said.<\/p>\n
Actors and directors are up to the challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe play examines normal average things from an existential perspective,\u201d said senior Molly Reynolds, the play\u2019s narrator. \u201cIts challenging, with heavy subject material and a lot to memorize.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 18 actors are enjoying focusing on the pantomiming, said assistant director Olivia Benson-Hibbs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are doing a good job adapting to it. Pantomiming requires a lot of spatial awareness and coordination between actors,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Madison Lankford, an eighth-grader, plays character Emily Webb.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message of the play emphasizes life, love, and death,\u201d she said. \u201cMy character starts out naive, then has the self realization that it is important to appreciate the variety and details of her life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Participating in the Dolores Theater Troupe is very rewarding, the actors said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe drama community is like a family,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cI just moved here from Colorado Springs, and the kids in theater are very welcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Lankford, \u201cYou learn to work together with each other. I like how every play has a message and as an actor you get to be somebody else.\u201d<\/p>\n