Engage Your Students in a Theatrical Exploration of Future Possibilities

The Our Town Project is a one-day symposium designed to spark creativity and collaboration through a unique reimagining of Thornton Wilder's classic play Our Town. Students will explore themes of community, life, and mortality in the context of a futuristic eco-city called "Grove of Concord." Set in 2038, this project challenges students to think critically about the world we live in and the world we want to create.

Students will collaboratively create an updated version of Our Town set in the year 2038 in a fictional eco-city named "Grove of Concord." This series of workshops include:

  • Gaining insights into all aspects of theatrical production through mentorship from experienced professionals.

  • Exploring themes of community, life, and mortality in a rapidly changing world.

  • Developing skills in playwriting, design, and storytelling through guided hands-on activities.

  • Learn collaborative storytelling techniques by adapting a classic play for a contemporary audience as a team.

Why is this ideal for your students?

  • Fosters creativity and collaboration

  • Hands-on workshops in playwriting, design, and storytelling

  • Sparks critical thinking about our world and the world as it might be

This immersive experience features: Collaborative Worldbuilding & Storytelling: map out and share the story of the fictional eco-city "Grove of Concord/Our Town” The symposium will include reimagining and writing scenes in this new setting along with transforming/designing the venue into a visual storytelling tool.

Engage Your Students in a Theatrical Exploration of Future Possibilities

One Day Curriculum Highlights

Pre-requisite - Read Thornton Wilder’s Our Town prior to attending or hosting the Symposium

Target Audience: Students aged 13-18, could be a select group from your school, your drama class/classes, your AP English students, etc.

Overall Goal: Engage students in a creative exploration of community, connection, and self-expression by reimagining/rethinking Thornton Wilder's Our Town set in 2038 in the eco-city Grove of Concord.

Participants will use and identify major themes of the play while keeping the core agenda intact, possibly including:

  • Community & connection

  • Social structure & tradition

  • Mortality & transformation

The Symposium will include:

Worldbuilding: Grove of Concord 

Introduce the idea of reimagining our way of life: to put planet and people above profit and the concept of an eco-city; Students collaboratively create a map of the city.

Focus Groups Writing and Design.

Writing Group 

Students collaboratively rewrite a key scene from each act in our new setting for a contemporary audience.

Design Group 

Explore the use of lighting, sound effects, and props to create the atmosphere of “Grove of Concord” while honoring the minimalist aesthetic written into the play.

Collaboration Stations 

Group will rotate through three stations manned by workshop leaders: Writing, Design, and Big Picture.

Ending with a sharing of the collaborations this experience will get students to think outside their screens and create a piece of theatre together for a future they want to see.