It is said that Thornton Wilder’s Our Town is one of the most produced plays in America and it has been that way since the play debuted in 1938. Why is Wilder’s play such a perennial, when so many plays from that era are rarely revived — or forgotten?

Howard Sherman is a writer, arts administrator, and former executive of the American Theatre Wing. His recently published book, Another Day’s Begun: Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in the 21st Century, dedicates a chapter to the 2002 Playhouse production (directed by James Naughton) of the timeless play.

We gathered the author, Playhouse Associate Artist Anne Keefe (and then-Playhouse Associate Artistic Director), and actor and Playhouse trustee Jake Robards on a panel hosted by Mark Lamos. Take a trip down memory lane with us as our panelists share some memories of this historic production and why Our Town continues to speak to us, particularly during tumultuous periods of American history.

Another Day’s Begun is available now.
Buy the book directly from Bloomsbury/Methuen
Buy the book from Bookshop.org

WATCH NOW

MEET THE AUTHOR

Howard Sherman

writer

our PANELISTS

Mark Lamos

host, playhouse artistic director

Anne Keefe

producer

Jake Robards

actor + playhouse trustee

Maggie Lacey, Paul Newman, Ben Fox in OUR TOWN (2002). Photo by Larry Merz.

John Braden, Jayne Atkinson, Walter Kosner, Maggie Lacey, Paul Newman in OUR TOWN (2002). Photo by Joan Marcus.

Paul Newman. Photo by Marc Bryan-Brown for Showtime.

The cast of OUR TOWN on Broadway, 2002–2003. Photo by Joan Marcus.

The New York cast of OUR TOWN celebrating Paul Newman’s birthday. Photo by Lyn Hughes.

James Naughton, Joanne Woodward, and Paul Newman, 2002.

The New York cast of OUR TOWN.

The marquee of the Booth Theatre, New York. Photo by Alison Harris.