With the community embracing the start to a warm holiday season, the Niles North theatre department is once again hard at work preparing for the production of the winter play, Our Town.

Directed by Tyrone Phillips, film and stage actor, the three-act play narrates the daily experiences of citizens living in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners. As Niles North’s diverse cast takes the stage, the story highlights experiences of love, loss, and the importance of being truly present by following the lives of the Webb and Gibbs families.

“I am the stage manager (an actual character) and my role is to guide the audience through the play. This is a very unconventional role for me because in the past, it has typically been played by old white men, including the playwright, Thornton Wilder. It is a very sweet and heartwarming show that makes you use your imagination and hopefully gets you to appreciate life and the little things more,” Uche Nwansi, senior thespian, said.

As an interactive production, the story also models real life as the audience finds themselves identifying personal experiences apparent in the seemingly normal lives of the fictional citizens.

“This play is unique because we talk to the audience members. They get to feel like not only are they watching the play, but they are in it. They get to see the town growing up, mature love blossoming, but also death within our town,” Bryanna Plaisir, senior thespian, said.

With Niles North thespians consistently receiving the highest forms of praise, the show is sure to have a lasting impression on its viewers.

Make sure to check out the production in the auditorium on Dec. 8 at 12:00 p.m. for the community performance or Dec. 9 and Dec. 10 at 4:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and will be sold next week at the box office.