History of Our Town

Our Town was written in 1938 by the renowned playwright and author Thornton Wilder. The play opened during January of 1938 in Princeton, New Jersey and, despite Wilder's expectations, was a huge success. Our Town was such a success that it won Wilder a Pulitzer Prize the same year. Since then it has been performed in professional theatres, school theatres, and many other places all around the world.

When Wilder's play first opened it was considered to be a very radical, highly experimental play. It is still considered to be very experimental even today. The simple scenery is just one of the reasons for this experimental label. Despite its experimental label, Our Town is still considered to be one of the best representations of American life. The play contains a universality, which lets it be liked by all generations. In a review by The New York Times, his work was described as having "not so much been revived over and over again, as they have almost continuously been alive among us."

In 1940, Our Town became a movie starring William Holden and Martha Scott. "Made for TV" movie versions were produced in 1977 and 1989. None of the three followed the original story completely but were, nevertheless, popular. At any time around the world, Our Town is probably playing in at least one or two theatres. Its simplicity and timeless universality have made the play one of the staples of American theatre.