Q&A With Stephanie Henry, Director of Framingham High's Our Town Production

In November, the Framingham High School Drama Company will stage the classic Our Town. Stephanie Henry is directing the production. Below is a Q&A with the director.

Why did you decide to direct Our Town? 

Henry: We are always looking for material to produce that will be challenging for our students and appealing to the community. Our Town is a play that accomplishes both. On the surface Our Town seems to be a simple play about daily life but when we dig down deeper we find that it is a play dense with philosophical ideas. These notions have already promoted interesting conversations among the cast and I know will prompt nuanced discussions between audience members.

How is your approach to this play any different than what has been done in the past? 

Henry: Our Town is iconic. Simple sets, little or no props. These are elements that are essential to producing the Our Town most people think they know. I love the simplicity of what Thornton Wilder expressed and that is what drew me to this play. The approach of the design of Framingham High School's production is what may be a little different. Still sparse and simple but perhaps more metaphorical.White chairs to represent the stars Wilder was so obsessed with and costumes to represent the matter of the universe.

Why do you think Our Town is one of the most produced American plays? 

Henry: Our Town is a "great American play" according to Edward Albee. Our Town succeeds in illuminating everyday life and all the struggles that are essentially human against the backdrop of the greater universe. Our Town gets down to the core of what it means to be a human being, which, no matter where you are from or what your background is becomes a unifying force.

What is special about your cast of Our Town? 

Henry:  The cast of Our Town at Framingham High School is very special. There are almost 75 students performing on stage and backstage. There is something about Our Town that just brings people together to tell the story. This cast is no different. Everyone wants to be a part of telling this story and in effect telling their own story.

What are the reasons someone should come and see this show? 

Henry:  In a letter to Gertude Stein Thornton Wilder wrote, "It a small play with all the big ideas in it." That seems like reason enough for me to go see Our Town. Who doesn't at some point in their lives deal with growing up, or loving or dying?  The human condition that binds us together.
It is a beautifully constructed play. Every word essential, every stage direction important. Every time I "visit" Grover's Corners I find this play reveals something new. People may have seen this play before, but as Wilder said " 'I love you' and 'I suffer' have been said many billions of times, and never twice the same." Always worthanother look, maybe to see it again for the first time.

Henry said she is "excited to have the opportunity to teach at Framingham High and work with such wonderful teachers and talented students."



Henry holds a BFA in Acting from New York University, a Master's of UCLA and an MEd from Lesley University. She has previously taught in Ashland, Needham, and Lexington School systems, also with the Concord Youth Theatre and the Chelsea Youth Theatre.

She was a co-founder of Equal Opportunity Productions, a theater-education program in Los Angeles. Henry has also performed as an actor in the Boston area. Credits include: A Piece of My Heart as Whitney, The Crucible as Elizabeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream as Helena, Macbeth as Lady Macbeth, The Bald Soprano as Mrs. Martin. She is also the recipient of the DASH award for best actress for the role of Whitney and an EMACT award of Elizabeth Proctor. 

Tickets for Our Town are now on sale. Performances are Nov. 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 night of performance. To order tickets visit www.showtix4u.com