Blog - Page 35 of 138 - Oglebay Institute

One of most amazing things about community theater is the actors that give their talent and time so that we can be entertained, moved and inspired. At Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre, we are lucky to have a large number of these talented people share their creative skills with us. Some are veterans who have honed their skills and bring a polished craft to their performances. Others are new to the stage, entering the realm of acting with a fresh face and vigor.

Wheeling native Aimee Kefauver has been acting at Towngate Theatre since she was 11-years-old. She is currently performing as Emily Webb in “Our Town,” the closing show of Towngate Theatre’s 50th Season.

We sat down with Aimee and asked her a few questions about herself and her part in “Our Town.”

GROWING UP ACTING

Towngate Theatre: You’re a student at West Liberty. What are you studying?
Aimee: “I’m actually graduating on May 4th! I’m going to school for speech-language pathology. In the fall, I’ll be attending Cal U in PA for graduate school.”

Towngate Theatre: Congratulations! That’s exciting and a lot going on in your life. Why did you audition for “Our Town?”
Aimee: “I have always loved ‘Our Town!’ And when I heard that Towngate was doing it and that Tim (Thompson)would be directing, that was just the icing on the cake!”

Towngate Theatre: You’ve been acting at Towngate for some time now. How many shows have you done at Towngate?
Aimee: “I’ve been performing with Towngate since I was 11. I took my very first acting class with Mr. Tim and then auditioned for my first show right afterwards. A few of the shows I’ve done there include “Wait Until Dark,” “Tartuffe,” “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Cinderella,” “All The King’s Women” and “Dark of the Moon” and then, of course, “August: Osage County” last year.”

Towngate Theatre: That’s a pretty great collection of shows! And you’ve done theater elsewhere as well?
Aimee: “I was in six shows at Wheeling Park High School. “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “Anything Goes,” “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “Footloose.” I was also a captain of the speech and debate team and took acting classes from Mr. Bill Cornforth.”

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Towngate Theatre: Yet you keep coming back to Towngate. What do you like about acting here?
Aimee: “Towngate is like my home away from home. I have spent so much of my life within those walls, and it has so many memories for me. The people I’ve met are incredibly talented and incredibly kind… When you see a show at Towngate, your friends and neighbors are the ones up onstage and behind the scenes. Each production is a group effort and I think that really shows. There’s just so much heart and soul. It’s a uniquely rewarding experience to be a part of it.”

Towngate Theatre: You play Emily Webb in the show. How are you like Emily?
Aimee: “Throughout the show, Emily learns the importance of appreciating the little moments in life. Growing up, my mom had a sign in our kitchen that read, ‘Enjoy the little things. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things.’ I have really tried to live by that, and if anything, playing Emily has really reiterated that for me.”

Towngate Theatre: That’s great advice. How are you unlike Emily?
Aimee: “Well, anyone who knows me knows that I’m one emotional lady. But Emily is from early 20th Century New England, where a great number of people were almost embarrassed by their emotions. Especially in Act 1, it’s important that we play our characters as somewhat reserved. That’s been challenging, but in a very rewarding way. It’s always fun to play someone different from yourself.”

Towngate Theatre: Do you have a favorite moment so far?
Aimee: “I honestly don’t know if I could pick one. This is such an amazing cast, and I’ve worked with a lot of these wonderful individuals before. It tends to feel like a big reunion! I will say that a lot of us have a sweet tooth, so our assistant director, Bob Gaudio, supplies baked goods and they are always a standout. But just getting to tell this beautiful story alongside such talented friends has been priceless. Every moment has been important.”

Towngate Theatre: What are you most looking forward to audience members experiencing when they see this production?
Aimee: “I was just talking about this with Tim! There’s something about this play that just feels so important. Wilder didn’t miss a beat when he sat down to write this show, and it’s a pleasure to bring it to an audience. I think I’m most excited for people to be left with something meaningful. There are some shows that you go to see, and they’re very entertaining, but when they’re over, they’re over. This show really leaves people thinking. More than once we’ve been speechless after a scene or a run-through, and I can’t wait for others to get to experience that alongside us.”

Towngate Theatre: What do you like to do when you’re not acting?
Aimee: “I love to write. As a matter of fact, I’m currently working towards publishing my first novel. I also enjoy listening to and playing music, singing, and watching plays, musicals, films, you name it.”

ABOUT THE PLAY

Considered by many to be the greatest American play ever written, Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece “Our Town” illuminates the powerful bonds that hold communities together through everyday life and moments of crisis.

With humor, wit and powerful storytelling, the play follows two ordinary families–the Gibbs and the Webbs–through life, love and loss in the fictional small village of Grover’s Corners.

Told as a “play within a play,” the stage manager narrates as we follow the residents of Grover’s Corners through 12 years of life changes–from the mundane in Act I, “Daily Life,” to the romantic in Act II, “Love and Marriage,” to the devastating in Act III, “Death and Eternity.”

Directed by Tim Thompson, the Towngate production has a large and talented cast. In addition to Aimee playing Emily, the cast includes John Reilly, Noah Hilton, Vincent Marshall, Rachel Thompson, Justin Swoyer, Dee Gregg, Eric Dutton, Joe Heatherington, Jim Weekly, Kristin Seibert, Robert Gaudio, Grace Thompson, Alex Fabrizio, Isaac Swoyer, Rob DeSantis, Karissa Martin, Pete Fernbaugh, Marie McKelvey, Aidan Kosol and Colin Roose.

“Our Town” closes Towngate’s 50th season of community theater, which is sponsored by Unified Bank.

GET TICKETS AND SEE THE SHOW

Evening performances of “Our Town” take place at 8 p.m. May 3, 4, 10 and 11. A matinee performance takes place at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 5.

Purchase tickets online in advance or by calling 304-242-7700. You can purchase tickets at the door, if available. Box office opens one hour prior to curtain.

Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre continues its 50th season of community theater with Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece “Our Town,” considered by many to be the greatest American play ever written.

You can see the show two weekends –May 3, 4 and 5 and May 10 and 11.

With its poetic beauty and simplicity, “Our Town” illuminates the powerful bonds that hold communities together through everyday life and moments of crisis.

With humor, wit and powerful storytelling, the play follows two ordinary families–the Gibbs and the Webbs–through life, love and loss in the fictional small village of Grover’s Corners.

“Our Town” Remains Relevant Today

Although written in 1938, “Our Town” remains relevant today, director Tim Thompson said, because it delivers “universal truths about what it means to be human.”

Thornton Wilder said, “I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.”

Thompson said “Our Town” embodies this quote. “Human beings perform the show for human beings about human beings– about who we are and what makes our lives significant. It is about our daily lives–our ups and downs, ebbs and flows, good times and bad. Audiences will closely identify with this story, its characters and its message.”

John Reilly, back, as Stage Manager, and Aimee Kefauver as Emily.

The play is performed without a set on a mostly bare stage. With a few exceptions, the actors mime actions without the use of props. Thompson said the minimalist surroundings inspire the imagination.

“The narration by the stage manager describes what things look like and the audience is engaged by trying to picture the places in their minds-eye. These can be different for each individual and possibly even remind them of their own homes. Also, it’s part of the theme that the most important aspects of life aren’t house or things.”

A Stellar Cast

John Reilly plays the part of the Stage Manager, who guides the audience through the town and introduces its inhabitants. Aimee Kefauver and Noah Hilton play Emily and George, the two young people who grow up together over the course of the play. Vincent Marshall and Rachel Thompson play Emily’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Webb. Justin Swoyer and Dee Gregg have the roles of George’s parents, Dr. and Mrs. Gibbs.

Eric Dutton plays the town choirmaster. Joe Heatherington plays the part of the town’s milkman, Howie Newsome. Playing the part of the town’s constable is Jim Weekly. Kristin Seibert appears as the town gossip Mrs. Soames and Robert Gaudio is Professor Willard. Grace Thompson plays the part of Rebecca Gibbs, George’s younger, starry-eyed sister. Alex Fabrizio plays Emily’s younger brother.

Rounding out the ensemble are: Isaac Swoyer, Rob DeSantis, Karissa Martin, Pete Fernbaugh, Marie McKelvey, Aidan Kosol and Colin Roose.

Noah Hilton, right, plays George Gibbs and Grace Thompson plays his younger, starry-eyed sister Rebecca.

“We have a stellar cast and crew,” Thompson said. “The Ohio Valley is chock-full of talented actors and this show has some of the best. Also, they are all doing many backstage facets of production, along with our seasoned technical crew. It is a true community effort. I am very fortunate as a director to be able to work with this elite cast and crew.”

This is the final play in Towngate’s 50th season, which is sponsored by Unified Bank.

About Towngate

Towngate is the premiere venue for community theater in Wheeling, providing an intimate theater experience with talented local actors performing in a variety of though-provoking, heartwarming, comedic and historically significant works from renowned playwrights and talented newcomers.

A church-turned-theater, Towngate is located in Wheeling’s historic Centre Market District and serves as an entertainment destination for residents of Wheeling, the Upper Ohio Valley and beyond. In addition to community theater, Towngate also offers poetry and spoken word performances, children’s theater, ballet, improvisational comedy and live music. Towngate is also home to the Wheeling Film Society and features changing art exhibitions in The Gallery at Towngate. Theater classes for children and adults are also offered year-round.

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