Our Town (1938)
Stage Manager – The stage manager begins and concludes the play, and coordinates it throughout all three acts. He is both part of the world of Grover’s Corners and outside of it: he describes himself as a resident of the town and acts as various townspeople such as Mr. Morgan and the minister at Emily and George’s wedding, but he is also conscious of Our Town as a play. This odd combination of perspectives is especially notable when he decides to include a copy of Our Town in the town’s time capsule, as he refers to the very play in which he himself is a character. The stage manager is the main device through which Thornton Wilder breaks the fourth wall in the play, as he often speaks directly to the audience. From his perspective outside the world of Grover’s Corners, the stage manager can also communicate with deceased characters in Act Three, and he is the one who takes Emily back in time to relive her twelfth birthday.
Dr. Gibbs – The father of George and Rebecca, husband of Mrs. Gibbs, and head of the Gibbs household. He is a kind and loving husband and father, though he prevents Mrs. Gibbs from even considering traveling to Europe, because he does not want to become discontented with Grover’s Corners. We first see Dr. Gibbs in the beginning of the play as he returns from assisting with the birth of a pair of twins and last see him bringing flowers to his wife’s grave, connecting him to the cycles of life and death that the play explores.
Joe Crowell – Joe delivers the Grover’s Corners Sentinel to townspeople’s doors. He appears in Act One and in Emily’s flashback in Act Three. The stage manager informs the audience that Joe graduated at the top of his class and earned a scholarship to MIT, but his promising future as an engineer was cut short when he died in World War I.
Howie Newsome – Howie is the town milkman, who delivers milk to people’s doors. He appears in all three acts of the play, and his repeated routine emphasizes the continuity of life in Grover’s Corners over time.
Mrs. Gibbs – Mrs. Gibbs is a loving wife and mother, who works tirelessly to raise her two children, keep the house clean, prepare meals, do laundry, and carry out other household tasks. She seems happy in her life, but there are hints that she desires something more out of life. She tells Mrs. Webb that she dreams of going to Paris and traveling somewhere where people don’t speak English, but she never gets to go on this kind of trip. Nonetheless, Mrs. Gibbs lives a happy life in Grover’s Corners with her family and community. At the end of the play, when she is dead, she helps Emily adjust to her new existence after death.
Mrs. Webb – The mother of Emily and Wally, Mrs. Webb is in many ways similar to Mrs. Gibbs—a similarity underscored by the way they prepare breakfast simultaneously in their two homes in acts one and two. She sings in the church choir with Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Soames. At Emily’s wedding, she briefly worries that she is sending Emily off into adulthood without having taught her enough about married, adult life.
George Gibbs – George is one of the main characters of the play. We see him as a young man, a (still young) groom, and a grieving husband who has lost his wife Emily. George is kind and well-meaning, and is very talented at baseball. He works on his uncle’s farm after graduating high school, deciding not to go to agricultural school in order to stay in Grover’s Corners with Emily. When he marries Emily, he is nervous about growing up and wishes that he could remain a “fella” forever with his baseball teammates. However, he gets over these fears and marries Emily happily. He last appears in the play grieving at Emily’s grave in the cemetery, at the end of the play.
Rebecca Gibbs – Rebecca Gibbs is George’s younger sister.
Wally Webb – Wally is Emily’s younger brother. He has a minor role in the play and, in Act Three, we learn that he died at a young age of a burst appendix.
Emily Webb – Emily is an intelligent, innocent young girl. She helps George with his homework in Act One and is upfront and honest with him about his conceited behavior in Act Two, which confirms for George how much he values her as a friend. Like George, she panics at their wedding, wanting to remain her father’s girl instead of growing up. When she passes away in Act Three, she attempts (as a still-existing soul) to relive her past life. However, she finds it too painful to go back knowing all that she now knows and ultimately returns to the present, letting go of her past life as Mrs. Gibbs encourages her to do. From her journey back in time, Emily gains a newfound appreciation for all the minute, everyday moments of life that living people don’t value highly enough.
Professor Willard – The stage manager invites Professor Willard, from the state university, onto the stage in Act One to give the audience more information about Grover's Corners.
Mr. Webb – Mr. Webb is the father of Emily and Wally, and the husband of Mrs. Webb. He works in town as the editor of the Grover’s Corners Sentinel, the local newspaper.
Woman in the balcony, man in the auditorium, and lady in the box – These three members of the audience ask Mr. Webb questions about Grover’s Corners in Act One.
Simon Stimson – The director of the church choir, and a drunk, Simon is cause for gossip and concern among the townspeople of Grover’s Corners. He reappears in Act Three after he dies (from suicide), along with other deceased characters.
Mrs. Soames – Mrs. Soames sings in the church choir with Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs. She attends the wedding of George and Emily and remarks on how lovely the wedding ceremony is. In Act Three, she stands with the other deceased characters, and, upon hearing of Emily’s death, still remembers how nice the wedding was.
Constable Warren – A policeman of Grover’s Corners, who appears occasionally and helps characterize Grover’s Corners as a small, relatively uneventful town.
Si Cromwell – Joe Cromwell’s younger brother, Si delivers the newspaper in Act Two. He demonstrates the interplay of change and continuity in Grover’s Corners. A young boy delivers the paper, as always, but the specific boy who carries out the routine changes.
Baseball Players – The baseball players appear during George and Emily’s wedding to tease George. They symbolize the innocent existence of childhood that George leaves behind when he marries Emily.
Sam Craig – Mrs. Gibbs’ nephew, who grew up in Grover’s Corners but then left. He returns to town in Act Three for Emily’s funeral.
Joe Stoddard – The town undertaker, who prepares for Emily’s funeral in Act Three.
Dr. Gibbs – The father of George and Rebecca, husband of Mrs. Gibbs, and head of the Gibbs household. He is a kind and loving husband and father, though he prevents Mrs. Gibbs from even considering traveling to Europe, because he does not want to become discontented with Grover’s Corners. We first see Dr. Gibbs in the beginning of the play as he returns from assisting with the birth of a pair of twins and last see him bringing flowers to his wife’s grave, connecting him to the cycles of life and death that the play explores.
Joe Crowell – Joe delivers the Grover’s Corners Sentinel to townspeople’s doors. He appears in Act One and in Emily’s flashback in Act Three. The stage manager informs the audience that Joe graduated at the top of his class and earned a scholarship to MIT, but his promising future as an engineer was cut short when he died in World War I.
Howie Newsome – Howie is the town milkman, who delivers milk to people’s doors. He appears in all three acts of the play, and his repeated routine emphasizes the continuity of life in Grover’s Corners over time.
Mrs. Gibbs – Mrs. Gibbs is a loving wife and mother, who works tirelessly to raise her two children, keep the house clean, prepare meals, do laundry, and carry out other household tasks. She seems happy in her life, but there are hints that she desires something more out of life. She tells Mrs. Webb that she dreams of going to Paris and traveling somewhere where people don’t speak English, but she never gets to go on this kind of trip. Nonetheless, Mrs. Gibbs lives a happy life in Grover’s Corners with her family and community. At the end of the play, when she is dead, she helps Emily adjust to her new existence after death.
Mrs. Webb – The mother of Emily and Wally, Mrs. Webb is in many ways similar to Mrs. Gibbs—a similarity underscored by the way they prepare breakfast simultaneously in their two homes in acts one and two. She sings in the church choir with Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Soames. At Emily’s wedding, she briefly worries that she is sending Emily off into adulthood without having taught her enough about married, adult life.
George Gibbs – George is one of the main characters of the play. We see him as a young man, a (still young) groom, and a grieving husband who has lost his wife Emily. George is kind and well-meaning, and is very talented at baseball. He works on his uncle’s farm after graduating high school, deciding not to go to agricultural school in order to stay in Grover’s Corners with Emily. When he marries Emily, he is nervous about growing up and wishes that he could remain a “fella” forever with his baseball teammates. However, he gets over these fears and marries Emily happily. He last appears in the play grieving at Emily’s grave in the cemetery, at the end of the play.
Rebecca Gibbs – Rebecca Gibbs is George’s younger sister.
Wally Webb – Wally is Emily’s younger brother. He has a minor role in the play and, in Act Three, we learn that he died at a young age of a burst appendix.
Emily Webb – Emily is an intelligent, innocent young girl. She helps George with his homework in Act One and is upfront and honest with him about his conceited behavior in Act Two, which confirms for George how much he values her as a friend. Like George, she panics at their wedding, wanting to remain her father’s girl instead of growing up. When she passes away in Act Three, she attempts (as a still-existing soul) to relive her past life. However, she finds it too painful to go back knowing all that she now knows and ultimately returns to the present, letting go of her past life as Mrs. Gibbs encourages her to do. From her journey back in time, Emily gains a newfound appreciation for all the minute, everyday moments of life that living people don’t value highly enough.
Professor Willard – The stage manager invites Professor Willard, from the state university, onto the stage in Act One to give the audience more information about Grover's Corners.
Mr. Webb – Mr. Webb is the father of Emily and Wally, and the husband of Mrs. Webb. He works in town as the editor of the Grover’s Corners Sentinel, the local newspaper.
Woman in the balcony, man in the auditorium, and lady in the box – These three members of the audience ask Mr. Webb questions about Grover’s Corners in Act One.
Simon Stimson – The director of the church choir, and a drunk, Simon is cause for gossip and concern among the townspeople of Grover’s Corners. He reappears in Act Three after he dies (from suicide), along with other deceased characters.
Mrs. Soames – Mrs. Soames sings in the church choir with Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs. She attends the wedding of George and Emily and remarks on how lovely the wedding ceremony is. In Act Three, she stands with the other deceased characters, and, upon hearing of Emily’s death, still remembers how nice the wedding was.
Constable Warren – A policeman of Grover’s Corners, who appears occasionally and helps characterize Grover’s Corners as a small, relatively uneventful town.
Si Cromwell – Joe Cromwell’s younger brother, Si delivers the newspaper in Act Two. He demonstrates the interplay of change and continuity in Grover’s Corners. A young boy delivers the paper, as always, but the specific boy who carries out the routine changes.
Baseball Players – The baseball players appear during George and Emily’s wedding to tease George. They symbolize the innocent existence of childhood that George leaves behind when he marries Emily.
Sam Craig – Mrs. Gibbs’ nephew, who grew up in Grover’s Corners but then left. He returns to town in Act Three for Emily’s funeral.
Joe Stoddard – The town undertaker, who prepares for Emily’s funeral in Act Three.