No School? Free Student Matinee Offered

Looking for an activity today while classes are canceled for Lakewood students?

The Beck Center for the Arts is offering a free showing of a play — often described as “the greatest American play ever written” — for free. 

That’s right, “Our Town” will be offered for free. 

“Because of the schools closing again, we would like to accommodate students and families by inviting them to the student matinee for free,” said Kathleen Caffrey, the Beck Center spokeswoman.

Theater doors will open at 9:40 a.m., but those interested in attending are encouraged to arrive between 9:30 and 9:50 a.m.

The show is approximately two hours long, and two intermissions are scheduled.

The Youth Theater is presenting Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning play “Our Town” on the Mackey Main Stage. 

If you miss the free show, it’s scheduled to run through Nov. 4 — so act quickly. Show times are set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. There is a 10 a.m. student matinee on Thursday, November 1.

Tickets are now on sale. 

According to a news release, “Our Town” tells the story of the Webb and Gibb families who live in the small town of Grover’s Corners. Narrated by a stage manager and performed with minimal set and props, the play is performed in three acts – Daily Life, Love/Marriage, and Death/Loss. Audiences follow the families as their children fall in love, marry, and eventually, in one of the most famous scenes in American theater, pass away. 

“Our Town”, directed by Jonathan Kronenberger, features a cast of dozens of students from Beck Center’s arts education programs.