Sartell High School Remakes the Classic ‘Our Town’ [VIDEO + PHOTOS]

A short drive to Sartell will give you the chance to see the Thornton Wilder classic Our Town being performed by an incredibly talented group of students at Sartell High School.

There must be something in the water in Sartell because they have some brilliant future actors/actresses attending their schools. Last school year, I was able to review the middle school production of Oklahoma. The students did an incredible job on that show and Our Town is no different.

I was able to attend one of their dress rehearsals and what I found is another amazing cast of youngsters that take you on the journey perfectly. While Oklahoma was a musical, Our Town is a play and is performed with very few props and tons of imagination.

Thornton Wilder wrote this play in 1937 and brought it to life on stage in 1938. Set in New Hampshire in the early 1900s, Our Town depicts the daily lives of citizens in Grover's Corners. In its three acts, you will see how the townspeople live, then how they ponder their middle age and yearn for their younger years and eventually their demise. It is a play meant to make the audience think about life and its true meaning and to grasp life while we are living.

You won't see many props, a few chairs, a couple tables and some ladders. The acting comes from the students pantomime their actions, they are to be as real as possible and to truly capture the moment as it may have happened.

Once again I am very impressed with the talent at Sartell High School. They have brought a classic play to the stage and breathed new life into it. The students did an incredible job capturing my imagination as they pretended to snap beans or eat cereal. In my own mind, those "missing" props appeared and filled in any gaps that were there.

I have to give a big kudos to the students as they were able to stay in character, remember their lines and deliver an incredible performance even with the cameras in their face shooting video and pictures right on stage with them. I will certainly be in attendance at an upcoming performance to see the entire play without having to capture the moment on camera and I truly look forward to it.

You can enjoy Our Town for yourself  Thursday, October 6 and Friday, October 7 at 7pm or on Saturday, October 8 at 2pm at the Sartell High School Auditorium. I urge you to get out and enjoy this show, ponder life and start living for today!