February production at Tech's Backdoor Playhouse combines timeless classic, innovative upgrades
When Thornton Wilder’s Our Town takes the stage at Tennessee Tech’s Backdoor Playhouse later this month, audiences will notice more than just a familiar story — they’ll also experience a new online ticketing system that allows advance purchase and reserved seating for the first time.
Longtime patrons will find the same performance schedule and pricing they’re accustomed to, now paired with the added convenience of online ticketing and reserved seating.
The contrast of introducing modern convenience during the production of a timeless classic is not lost on director Prudence van Aalten.
“Wilder has a way of sucking us in and making us see ourselves, our lives, our memories, as we piece together this imaginary town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire,” she said.
Written in 1938 and set between 1901 and 1913, the play guides audiences to discover the magic hidden in the ordinary. In the play’s fictional New England small town where life moves quietly, audiences find that everything that truly matters happens every single day.
“This play, now and always, reminds us that we are all human. We all share in the experiences of life, love and death. We need to accept and appreciate each other, especially when we feel that the world is breaking around us,” Van Aalten continued.
“Let the people of Grover’s Corners give you the hope we are searching for today and for all time,” she concluded.
The cast for Our Town is considerable, which means audiences will get a significant highlight of campus talent.
The play follows the Webb and Gibbs families and their neighbors through the simple rhythms of daily life – breakfasts, weddings, dreams and even goodbyes. Guided by the wise and witty (and otherwise nameless) stage manager, the audience is drawn in, becoming a part of the story. In that way, they are reminded that love, time and human connection are what make the small moments of the everyday shine.
The show opens on Feb. 19 and runs each Thursday, Friday and Saturday for two weeks, through Feb. 28. Show time is 7:30 p.m. for each performance, and an additional 2 p.m. matinee is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21.
General admission for the show is $15, admission for senior citizens 65 and older and military with identification is $12, students are $5, and a $5 faculty and staff night has been set for the Thursday, Feb. 26, performance.
Our Town is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.
Visit the Backdoor Playhouse’s new online ticket system here to view seating, select options and purchase your tickets.
For more information about the Backdoor Playhouse, its 2026 production schedule or Our Town, visit its website here.