OT: Our Town (2002)

Dominguez High, in the infamous Compton, CA, has not produced a play in over twenty years. With no money and no stage, two teachers and twenty-four students attempt to produce Thornton Wilder's American Classic OUR TOWN.

Director:

Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Writer:

Thornton Wilder (play)

Stars:

Catherine Borek, Karen Greene, Ebony Starr Norwood-Brown

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Catherine Borek	...	Teacher and Director of the Play
Karen Greene	...	Teacher and Director of the Play
Ebony Starr Norwood-Brown	...	Herself / The Stage Manager
Archie Posada	...	Himself / George Gibbs
Armia Robinson	...	Herself / Emily Webb
Jackie Oliver	...	Herself / Mrs. Soames
Christopher Patterson	...	Himself / Mr. Webb
Jose Perez	...	Himself / Simon Stimson

Storyline

The Dominquez High School in Comptom, California--with an explosive culture of black and hispanic youths and dismal outlook of school life--has not produced a play in 20 years. They have nothing in the way of a theater program, nor a budget of any sort. This documentary chronicles the month and a half before the opening night play performance of their version of Our Town.

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Plot Keywords:

teacher | student | opening night | high school | condom | 

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Taglines:

Birth. Love. Life. Death. It's not just a play.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

distributor

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 January 2003 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Compton, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

A Stressbox Inc., OT Films, Pellington Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original play "Our Town" opened at Henry Miller's Theater in New York City on 4 February 1938 and had 338 performances.

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Connections

References The Lion King (1994)

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Soundtracks

"You're So Vain"
By Carly Simon

User Reviews

Great story, well-told

A truly heartwarming story about the value of arts in schools. In troubled Compton, CA, a high school which has not staged a play in 20 years decides to put on a production of Our Town. It's fascinating to watch how the kids and culture of the school deal with the challenges of theater and the rather stark contrast between the play's setting and their own lives. Very well done.

Only criticism: without giving away too much, there are a couple of incidents of implied (not directly viewed) violence that are juxtaposed in a manner that leads the view to think they are the same incident, when in fact they are not. A little more time in the editing room could fix this.