Another Day’s Begun:
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in the 21st Century
by Howard Sherman (Methuen Drama 2021)
It is said that Thornton Wilder’s Our Town is one of the most produced plays in America and it has been that way since the play debuted in 1938. Why is Wilder’s play such a perennial, when so many plays from that era are rarely revived – or forgotten?
Another Day’s Begun: Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in the 21st Century doesn’t offer a singular answer to that question, but rather the thoughts and recollections of actors, directors, musical directors and designers who have engaged with the play in both the US and UK, offering their insights into the play and what its has meant to their own lives. The participants range from students and amateurs to well-known figures like Jane Curtin, Helen Hunt, Jane Kaczmarek, Moisés Kaufman, Troy Kotsur, and Michael McKean.
The book also offers a short history of the early years of Our Town, as well as a survey of how the play has permeated pop culture, with a recap of its many radio and television versions, as well as references and even scenes turning up on Cheers, Growing Pains, Riverdale, My So-Called Life, The Nanny, and 30 Rock.
“An important book consisting of 12 oral histories of the play that have opened since 2002 and prefaced by a richly detailed 34-page overview of the original Broadway production of the play’s subsequent history up to the turn of this century.” – Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal
“If you love the play, you’ll love the book. If you have believe it or not, never really even seen a production of Our Town, you’ll love the book, because this book, as much as the play, is the story about people, and how we fit each other into our lives and what we mean to each other. One of the things you’re struck by as you read about production after production, is that every production becomes its own small town, and you are inevitably touched by the lives that are uplifted. It’s a great book.” – Scott Simon, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday
“Another Day’s Begun provides the perfect dramaturgical companion for any director, scholar, or producer about to visit Grover’s Corners.” – Journal of American Drama & Theatre
“With the country splintered, its institutions shaken, a book documenting a classic American play affirming shared life experiences and bedrock values seems especially timely.” – Peter Marks, Washington Post
“Another Day’s Begun possesses a theatricality of its own, with an “intermission” at its mid-point, and a peppering of production stills throughout. But it is with its collection of interviews, or “Oral Histories”, that Sherman’s book comes into its own, offering a novel lens through which to view the play, both in performance and as a cultural phenomenon… To those who want to get to grips with the play, Another Day’s Begun can be highly recommended.” ―The Times Literary Supplement
“A captivating history of Our Town. In this time of dark stages and unemployed thespians, Sherman’s reflections will enchant all theater buffs.” ―Library Journal
“I love this book! Howard Sherman delivers a fresh, witty, engaging, exhaustively researched, up to the minute backstage tour into one of America’s very greatest and perhaps most underestimated plays. An excellent must-have book to own and cherish.” ―Stephen Adly Guirgis
“What an immense pleasure to read Another Day Begun: Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in the 21st Century. Howard Sherman has crafted a comprehensive overview of Our Town that traces the play’s journey from inception to reception, its acceptance and then the interrogations that surround such success. Sherman places Thornton Wilder firmly where he belongs, in the pantheon of the most significant American playwrights. And he makes a compelling case for how the play speaks directly to the complexities our current century” ―Anne Bogart
“To explore the pages of this book is to rediscover the joy and wonder of theatre itself. Our Town is arguably the greatest American play, and Howard Sherman helps us understand how it retains that power for new generations, new visions of America, and communities around the globe. The stories he tells, like Wilder’s play itself, make their gentle and mysterious way into our hearts, until we too are transformed by a bigger and more generous vision of our world.” ―David Henry Hwang
“If Thornton Wilder ever wondered: “What difference will it make if I write this play?”, Howard Sherman’s Another Day’s Begun answers him. Sherman’s book is a remarkable case study of Our Town in multiple contexts. We are given testimony from all involved in how one play makes an enormous difference in appreciating our time on earth and realizing our connection to each other. A must-read for all who love theatre, and an eloquent gift for all of us who wonder what difference it makes to write during our allotment of days” ―Paula Vogel
“Howard Sherman has crafted an entertaining and enlightening appreciation of what is arguably the greatest American play … Another Day’s Begun is not only a colorful companion to Our Town, but a worthy addition to the study of American theater.” ―Donald Margulies
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