Highly recommended: Ann Patchett’s 2023 novel Tom Lake is about a summer theater festival that centers around a production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Set during the pandemic, the novel concerns families, mothers and daughters, and personal secrets. (NOTE: Mature themes.)
Here’s a wonderful, short (18 minutes), highly watchable documentary from 2022 (“Thornton Wilder: It’s Time”) about Wilder’s best-known works that includes interviews with a number of contemporary playwrights, actors, and directors, as well as some great photos and videos of Wilder himself. (Keep watching through the closing credits for more photos.)
Here’s the link for the Official Website by the Wilder Family about Thornton Wilder: https://www.thorntonwilder.com/ This excellent resource is regularly updated.
Vivien Leigh played Sabina in a London production of the play in 1945-46. She played the role again in 1959 in a production that was recorded and aired on television on March 17, 1959. Here’s the link to Act 1: (NOTE: For reasons that I don’t understand, this production pronounces the name of Leigh’s character as “Sabeena,” which is incorrect.)
