Juneteenth committee of St. Joseph presents ‘Our Town’ 

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Juneteenth celebration events will kick off this weekend in St. Joseph, with a performance of 'Our Town' taking center stage.

The Juneteenth Celebration Committee is set to present a compelling production of Thornton Wilder's 'Our Town' beginning Friday, June 13.

"This is the third play we've done for Juneteenth," said Mike Wilson, a local director and playwright. "It's a really interesting play because it uses a very minimalist stage -- basically, a very bare stage."

The play has been hailed as 'the greatest American play ever written' by renowned playwright Edward Albee. 

Set in a small town, the story follows a stage manager who guides the audience through the everyday lives of residents, traces a childhood friendship as it blossoms into marriage and reveals profound truths about the essence of life.

"The stage manager talks to the audience a lot and that's not normal," Wilson said. "Usually, actors don't talk directly to the audience and she gives them a lot of facts and figures about the play."

The production relies on pantomiming to tell the story through expressive bodily and facial movements rather than props.

"We don't use any props, so when you see the women cooking breakfast, they're doing it with no pots, no pans, nothing," Wilson said. "It makes the audience use their imagination."

Committee members prioritized assembling a mixed-race cast to mirror the Broadway revival of the play, which featured notable actors like Jim Parsons from 'The Big Bang Theory'.

In honor of Juneteenth, community members are encouraged to attend the performance and reflect on this significant moment in history, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people.

"This play has an interesting underlying message and that is, we don't really appreciate life as we live it," said Wilson. "It's an important message and that's one of the reasons it's such an interesting play."

The play will be performed at the Missouri Theater in Downtown St. Joseph at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 15. Tickets are $15.

To purchase tickets, visit https://www.stjosephmuseum.org/juneteenth and select the event.