‘George and Emily Get Married’ 

George and Emily Get Married brings George and Emily, the young lovers from Thornton Wilder’s famous play Our Town, into a new era. In this play, a new work by local theater artist Rick Mokler (produced by the Theatre Group at SBCC), George and Emily are now living in modern-day Santa Barbara — Emily has just finished medical school, and George is a small-time writer.

“Our Town presents a lovely, but very old-fashioned, small-town version of marriage,” says Mokler of the inspirational text. “In my play, I tried to present a more modern version…. Whom we marry, how we marry, and what is expected of marriage have changed drastically in the last hundred years. I use the structure and characters of Our Town to highlight a few of those changes.”

Audience members who have never seen or read Our Town needn’t worry: The play borrows characters and ideas but stands on its own without the context of the original work. Similar to Our Town, George and Emily Get Married uses a “host” character as the bridge between the world of the audience and the world of the play. Mokler, who also directs the show, says the host talks directly to the audience, giving them needed background and occasional personal insights. “Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the play,” he says, “is that the audience is invited to join the wedding party on stage for the reception. They will be on stage for the final scene of the play when the newlyweds’ fathers give speeches, and the families offer a unique toast. The play ends with George and Emily’s first dance as a married couple with the 100-person audience on stage with them — just like a wedding reception.”

You’re invited to the festivities! George and Emily Get Married runs April 12-29 at the Jurkowitz Theater on the SBCC Campus (721 Cliff Dr.). See theatregroupsbcc.com.