Rider presents Our Town February 26 through March 2

Rider University will present Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Our Town Wednesday, Feb. 26, through Sunday, March 2, in the Yvonne Theater on the campus of Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J. A preview performance is Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m., and performances are Thursday, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 1, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, March 2, at 2 p.m. Directed by Trent Blanton, the cast is composed of students studying Theatre at Rider University’s Westminster College of the Arts.

Set in a fictional town of Grover’s Corners, the play depicts an average town’s citizens in the early 20th century as shown through their everyday lives. Premiered in 1938 at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, Our Town has bridged many cultures, ages, and sensibilities and remains as one of America’s most endearing and popular dramas.

Trent Blanton is assistant professor of Theatre at Rider University’s Westminster College of the Arts. His directing credits at Rider include Metamorphoses, The Crucible, The Laramie Project, Anatomy of Grey and Striking 12. A member of Actor’s Equity, Blanton’s professional acting credits include Les Miserables, A Christmas Carol, 1776, Fiddler on the Roof, A Christmas Carol, Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, and Masada. He played virtually every major city in North America in the Broadway National Tour of Les Miserables. He was also in the Chinese premiere of Les Miz in 2002 with Colm Wilkinson at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. At Rider he teaches acting and movement.  He is also an active presenter with the Southeastern Theater Conference and a production respondent for the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival.

Rider University’s Theatre program has a rich tradition of preparing students for successful careers in all aspects of the theater. Graduates of the program are working with national theater companies, in film and on television. The Rider University campus productions have earned critical praise for more than 50 years and offer the community the opportunity to see aspiring actors in the early stages of their careers.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. They can be purchased at the door, through the box office at 609-896-7775 or online. General admission preview tickets are $9 and are only available at the door.  For more information, visit rider.edu/arts.