Our Town

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Your Town”

In this activity, students will form a group and create a 2-minute skit that illustrates a “day in the life” in their own town or city.

From the grave in Act III, Simon Stimson laments that people “spend and waste time as though [they] ha[ve] a million years.” He realizes too late that most of us take our existence for granted and don’t stop to enjoy the big and small moments that define a lifetime (growing up, finding a partner, forming a family, living, and dying). This develops the play’s theme of People’s Lack of Appreciation for Life and the Ordinary.

In this activity, you will work in groups to create a dramatic skit that illustrates 2-3 particular facets of everyday life that give existence meaning.

• The skit will be approximately 2 minutes in length.
• Work in groups of 2-4.
• Consider how Our Town demonstrates relatable characters and events despite a lack of props and other stage equipment; your own skit may not include more than two props.
• Consider how People’s Lack of Appreciation for Life and the Ordinary influences the way they act and behave.