Thornton Wilder's Our Town

In "Our Town" by Thornton Wilder, a small New England town is brought to life through personal stories as well as a look into the personalities of the people who live in the town itself. The action of the play is driven by an unnamed character, known in the script as simply "The Stage Manager" (Morris). In this paper, this anonymous, but important character is examined and discussed from several viewpoints.
Purpose and Effectiveness of the Stage Manager

People who study this play may ask themselves why The Stage Manager is even necessary within the play itself. When taking a closer look at this character, it is possible to see both the purpose of the character and his effectiveness in his role. While it may be impossible to read the mind of Wilder, research into The Stage Manager shows a few very interesting theories about the nature of this character with no name, but a big job to complete. Many sources agree that the overall purpose of The Stage Manager is to serve as the narrator of the play while at the same time serving as one of the actual characters of the play, as he, from time to time, steps into the action of the play to speak to the characters themselves (Feinsod, Morris), which makes him a character in the play as well. With this holding of two important functions within the play in mind, the effectiveness of The Stage Manager is something that also is worthwhile to keep in mind.
The Stage Manager is effective in "Our Town" for several reasons; while it is mostly an opinion, it makes sense to assume that without the presence of The Stage Manager within the play, it could be a confusing or even boring play for the audience. When a play uses a simple story line and small cast like this one, it is important for each character to go above and beyond to move the story to where it needs to be. The Stage Manager not only does a great job as narrator, but also is "in the play" itself. Therefore, it can be said that The Stage Manager is actually the most important person in the play.
Why Wilder Included the Stage Manager in the Play

Thornton Wilder seems to agree about the value of The Stage Manager; otherwise, it makes perfect sense that Wilder would not have included him in the play. Luckily for the audience, Wilder did include this interesting character in the play, and there are specific reasons that seem to explain why he did so.
On a practical viewpoint, it makes perfect sense for Wilder to have used a character like The Stage Manager, because he helps to move the plot of the play forward, and even steps in as a character when he is needed to do so. With a relatively small cast, this is something that is very useful to a playwright and is interesting for the audience as well. To look at this character in a more philosophical way, it is possible that Wilder meant for The Stage Manager to be what some people might call God, or whatever someone might believe in as a supreme being that observes the action that goes on daily, and steps in to move things along when needed.

Conclusion

Whether we look at The Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" as human or godly, one thing is for sure. In conclusion, the character still has people talking, years after he was created.

Works Cited
Feinsod, Arthur. The Simple Stage: Its Origins in the Modern American Theater. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992.

Morris, Rebecca. "The Unexamined Life." American Theatre July-Aug. 1995: 13+.