As preparation for this year’s spring play. “Our Town,” students from Arlington High School took a tour of the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum recently. They were escorted through the museum by pioneers Ruth and Harry Yost, who showed them furniture, tools and various equipment the students had never seen before.
The high school actors visited the Pioneer Museum to learn more about life 100 years ago.
Director Scott Moberly chose the play, “Our Town” thinking he would like to draw as many connections as possible between life in Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire, with Arlington, Wash.
AHS Drama Booster Lynn Stone explained that Thornton Wilder uses a great deal of pantomime, rather than props.
“The problem is that many of the students are too young to know about canning green beans or what a highboy piece of furniture looks like,” Stone said.
“They don’t even know what a window shade pull looks like.”
“Our Town” is set in 1901 to 1914, just before the beginning of The Great War.
Ruth Yost showed a half of the group the evolution of clothes washing machines, — washboards and the earliest of wringer washers, sharing a personal experience about mashing her finger when she was a young girl.
They saw medical and dental equipment as well as farm tools and various forms of transportation.
The students noted that people in portraits looked very somber and didn’t smile. They were puzzled by shoe hooks and laughed at hairdos. They were amazed to think of taking a bath in a galvanized tub.
One of the actors, Safa Pinkens, said she only has a small part as a member of the church choir and that she noticed the church pews in the museum.
“They look very uncomfortable,” she said.
“We hope our students will learn some valuable lessons from the past,” Stone said.
“Our Town” is presented by Arlington High School Drama Department. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. April 25 and 26 and May 2 and 3. Tickets are $10 and $6 for student and seniors and can be purchased through the Byrnes Performing Arts Center web site at www.byrnesperfomingarts.com and at the door.
Cast
Robert Peiffle is Dr Gibbs
Zack Cushman is Joe Crowell as an 11-year-old boy
Zack McCone is Howie Newsomme, the milkman
Danika Drake is Mrs. Gibbs
Amanda Molsee is Mrs. Webb
Dylan Hussey is George Gibbs
Lauren Beall is Rebecca Gibbs
Janelle Hudon is Emily Webb
Matt Meyrick and Andrew Algard play Professor Willard
Sean Welch plays Mr. Webb
Jane Waggoner plays Woman in Balcony
Bailey Taylor is Woman in Auditorium
Janelle Pittman is Lady in Box
Josh Tanner is Simon Stimson
Ashlee Hudson is Mrs. Soames
Jimmy Dix plays Constable Bill Warren
Zack Cushman is Si Crowell
Nick Tezak and Marcus Dolan play Baseball Players
Matthew Peiffle plays Sam Craig
Darian Rosebrook plays Joe Stoddard
Adam Kaufman is Farmer McCarthy
Crissa Crooks is First Dead Woman/Choir
Jessica Safford is Second Dead Woman/Choir
Chris Vaughan plays First Dead Man/Choir
Chorus
Carolie Rensel
Alexa Soriano
Roxanne Franck
Safa Pinkens
C.J. Reese
Dina Chebotareva
