“Our Town is a playful and poignant play that forces us to wake up and start living. Set in three acts starting in 1901, Emily revisits her quaint little life through beginnings and endings, guided by a character called the Stage Manager. But surprises arise when memories become reality. Written in 1938 by playwright and poet Thornton Wilder, Our Town is a beloved piece of literature performed regularly in the US in small towns to Broadway for decades. It was revolutionary and even experimental at the time of its premiere, because of its existential theme portrayed in a meta-theatrical way by talking to the audience directly, all with minimal and imaginary aesthetics. I will continue this tradition in a fresh way with my unique perspective as an American female director who grew up in a small American town like the one in our play, and mentored by Gábor Tompa as his MFA Directing student at UC San Diego 10 years ago. In collaboration with these great artists of the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj, my production investigates the paradox of living and dead through moments of suffering and solitude, worry and waiting, then playfulness and peace. After experiencing our production of Our Town, our audiences will want to hug their loved ones a bit tighter and live life a little fuller."

Jesca Prudencio