Gettysburg College's Department of Theatre Arts will present Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Our Town" Feb. 24-28.

The play's dramatic plea for "face-to-face connection is extremely relevant today," wrote the director, theatre arts Prof. Christopher Kauffman. "it is an alarm bell, ringing quietly in the smallest corners of our rooms."

Performances in Kline Theatre will take place at 8 p.m. except for Sunday, Feb. 27's matinee at 2 p.m. Admission is free of charge, but reservations are required for Friday, Feb. 25, and Saturday, Feb. 26. The ticket office can be reached at 717-337-6060. The Kline Theatre is in Brua Hall near Washington and Water streets.

"The popularity of 'Our Town' since its premiere in 1938 suggests that Wilder has touched on something deeper than just the way we were," wrote Kauffman.

"Wilder's existential question is the same we are asking now, especially at a time the tempo of life is increasingly more demanding and distracting," Kauffman wrote. "For this reason, there has been a dramatic surge in professional productions of the play in the last ten years."

The cast includes: senior Jacob Henkoff as the "Stage Manager," sophomore Sara Vanasse as Emily Webb, senior Phil Ballantine as George Gibbs, junior Allison Erskine as Mrs. Webb, sophomore Alexandra Clint as Mrs. Gibbs, junior Joseph Feaster as Mr. Webb and junior Steve Hnath as Dr. Gibbs.

The play is a co-production of Gettysburg College's Department of Theatre Arts and the Owl & Nightingale Players student group.

Founded in 1832, Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with a strong academic tradition. Alumni include Rhodes Scholars, a Nobel laureate, and other distinguished scholars. The college enrolls 2,600 undergraduate students and is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.

Contact: Jim Hale, senior staff writer