Our Town - Unsere Kleine Stadt

Anne-Louise Sarks

Company: Theater Basel

Year the project commenced: 2018 
Year it became impossible:2020 
Audience not reached:5000 +
One of the strangest things in 2020 were the works made which seemingly evaporated. Works all but complete that never met their audience and were often ceased with with no official documentation nor record. In a rapidly shifting world they feel, according to director Anne-Louise Sarks, like a dream. Sark’s work, which was so near its completion but never complete, was a radical version of Thornton Wilder’s classic American play ‘Our Town’. It was was to be performed in High German in the Schauspielhaus, Theater Basel, Switzerland and to premiere on 19th March 2020. The show took the original inspiration for the creation of Thornton Wilder’s play and reimagined it for 2020. Thornton Wilder was reacting the Theatre of the 50’s, and he created a piece of theatre to be performed without set and featuring mime. His ideas were radical at the time. Sark’s production was a radical response to the limitations of mainstream theatre in 2020. To be presented by an ensemble from 2020, recreating a piece from the 1950s and set in the early 1900s. Staged in the bare theatre it was to be performed in historical costume and with moving furniture (all of which was completed before the cancellation).
They had continued to rehearse even as the virus began its sweep through Europe. Rehearsals were slow, with many cast members absent due to the flu (something which Sarks suspects retrospectively was Covid-19). Even when the theatres in Basil closed in March, they had continued rehearsing hoping that, even if they too were shut down, they would still achieve a performance of some form (online perhaps, or a ‘soft’ opening) and for the live performance to exist in the company’s repertoire. Unfortunately by the time they were officially ceased, things were moving so quickly that they didn’t manage to record or even officially photograph the show. Many of the cast and team were from other countries and promptly left Basel and the ensemble at Theater Basel has now concluded its contract. The rehearsal of the show and the scheduling of replacement performances is now impossible. Theater Basel has confirmed the show won’t ever premiere. They were 5 days from their premiere and the show was almost finished.

The never printed program 

Based on Thornton Wilder's 'Our Town' 
Director - Anne-Louise Sarks 
Assistant Director - Barabra Luchner 
Set Design - Marg Horwell 
Costume Design - Mel Page 
Composition/Sound Design - Knut Jensen 
Lighting Design - Vassilios Chassapakis 
Dramaturg - Manuela Seiler 
Dramaturg - Michael Billenkamp 

Ensemble with guest artists- Theater Basel
As part of The Impossible Project we have been inviting artists to conceive of, attempt and document an attempt at An Impossible Task or to undertake a conversation with Anna Tregloan where she attempts (the similarly impossible task) of capturing their creative endeavours in sketch form.
Sarks never met the audience for this production so Tregloan attempted the Impossible Task of rendering it in sketch form.

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