On November 15, 16, and 17, auditions were held for Arrowhead’s next school play titled Our Town. Shortly after auditions, the cast list was put out and rehearsals began.

Alyssa Proell, a freshman at Arrowhead who will be playing Emily Webb, says, “Rehearsals have been great! The first read through had most of us in tears, myself included, because the story, even though Thorton Wilder didn’t expect people to be emotional about a simple play, he still managed to capture people’s hearts. We have made a lot of progress in the beginning scene and a lot of people are working very hard to be memorized. We have worked a lot on pantomiming which is a key importance to the show, because the scenery and props are minimal to show the simplicity of Our Town.”

Our Town is set in the fictional small town of Grover’s Corners, Massachusetts. The time is May in 1901. The story contains two average families and follows their everyday life.  

Julia Zellmer, a freshman at Arrowhead who will be playing Rebecca Gibbs, says, “The play revolves around two main characters named George and Emily whose love story we see grow over the course of the performance. By the end, George and Emily realize the importance of everyday life and we learn to see the extraordinary in our ordinary lives.”

Emma Cholip, an Arrowhead senior who will be playing Mrs. Gibbs, makes the story close to home when she says, “Our Town is about simply that, it’s about our town whether it be Hartland or some other obscure small town in Wisconsin. It’s about the small things in life and going through cycles and realizing what’s really important. It’s all about realization and finding extraordinary in the ordinary.”

Olivia Gundrum, a senior at Arrowhead who will be playing Mrs. Soames says, “It’s tough to explain [the show] because so much of its beauty is within the depth of the show versus within the plot. But our mantra for the show is all about finding =the extraordinary in the ordinary. So it’s about cherishing the little things.”

The cast rehearses every day after school for about three hours as well as a few hours on Saturdays.

The time the cast spent together has lead to bonding between members, in all grades.

Zellmer says, “My favorite part of being apart of Our Town has been forming new friendships with my fellow cast mates. As a freshman, it was very difficult for me to go out of my way to make new friends but over the course of this production, I have made tons of new friends in all of the grade levels.”

Maralynn Markano is the theatre manager, stage crew advisor, and the director of the school play. She is a teacher at Arrowhead and teaches advanced speech, introduction to theatre arts, acting, directing, and english ten. Markano received her Bachelor’s Degree from Winona State University, with a double major in english education and speech/theatre education.  She then earned her Master’s Degree from Lesley University in curriculum and instruction:  integrated arts in teaching and learning.

Gundrum says, “My favorite part of all the Markano shows, is the relationships formed within the cast. There are freshmen through seniors in the show. And it’s really fun to make memories and get to know each other. It’s super awesome so be a senior and have the unofficial responsibility of making sure everyone feels like they’re important and that they belong. It’s a very inclusive, fun environment!”

Cholip says, “We’re a family and I never get sick of being around my people. Some of the most important people in my life I’ve met thanks to being on stage, and being able to perform Our Town with these people is most definitely the best part of being in the show.”  

According to Proell, not only has working on the show been fine, but it has also been challenging and has given her cause for growth.

Proell says, “My favorite part about this production so far is the great people and friends that I’m surrounded by. I enjoy spending time with them and growing as an actress, which this show has challenged me because of the pantomiming and acting out everyday life with few props.”   

The cast will continue to work on the show through December and all of January. The first showing of will occur on February 19, 2017.

Cholip says, “It’s just been going wonderfully [rehearsal] and I’m so excited for people to see the finished product.”