Actors explore love and loss in the theater department’s production of “The Last, Best Small Town.”

By Allison Larrimore, April 23, 2024

As the Department of Theater and New Dance gears up for its production of ‘The Last, Best Small Town,’ the cast prepares to bring to life a contemporary story of love, loss and change at a time when audiences are themes of the story with own experiences.

Written by John Guerra, the play is a modern adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s classic “Our Town” and explores the realities and limitations of the American dream through the similar yet different perspectives of two neighboring Hispanic and white families during the Great Recession. mid-2000s.

“There are eight characters, two families who are really trying, and they let us experience what it feels like to lose, like what it feels like to really want something and not get it and then have to say ‘yes’ to what you get instead and keep going,” says Sayda Trujillo, assistant professor in the theater department and director of this production.

Trujillo also discussed the depth of the actors’ work in making their characters seem more real than the superficial level of just being people they portray on stage.

“I tried to make them really curious about the people they’re playing and go really deep by not just creating a stereotype of those characters but actually exploring their origins and why they say what they say and their hopes and dreams to explore. their purpose in life,” Trujillo said, proud of the cast’s commitment to their roles and each other. “I feel like we have built a real community based on trust and respect.”

Joseph Montoya, a theater student who plays a son of the Latinx family, Elliot Gonzalez uses his own personal experiences and feelings as a student to embody his character’s personality and motives.

“I can express myself through my character because I feel like Elliot is a lot like how I am as a person,” Montoya said. “It’s really satisfying not to have to play just anyone, but being able to live as someone else who is very much like me.”

Ethan Serrano, a theater student who plays Elliot’s father, Benny Gonzalez, also uses the relatability factor by emphasizing his character’s fatigue in his acting to accurately portray the type of person he is and his lifestyle.

“This is a character who works all day and long hours,” Serrano said. “He is called in, sometimes pulled away from his family to just work, and it is very recognizable for people who are just so busy, they don’t have time to do the things they want.”

Audiences can expect a show about family bonds, generational expectations and the American dreams that have different paths for everyone, Serrano said.

When the cast and crew met with Guerra and discussed his views on the play’s events as a playwright, he mentioned an overarching theme that stood out to Montoya and Trujillo: the American dream had failed both families.

Trujillo hopes the story will resonate with those who come to see the play and make them reflect on their own experiences and wishes for their lives.

“For me, the most important thing is to understand the piece not from an intellectual place, but from a physical place, like a guttural sound,” Trujillo said. “This play is about real people, real families trying to do their best in (financial hardship).”

“The Last, Best Small Town” runs from April 18 to April 24 at the University Theater, with 7:30 p.m. showings Thursday through Saturday, a 2 p.m. showing on Sunday and 7:30 p.m. showings on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased on the department’s Tix website.

Main image courtesy of the Department of Theater and New Dance