Posted: October 5, 2025

(LeRoy, MN) — The stage has been buzzing with activity at Humanities 101, LeRoy’s performing arts center. Four days a week, 21 community actors are rehearsing Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” in the center’s quaint auditorium. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play follows the small town of Grover’s Corners in three acts. The story is narrated by a stage manager and uses minimal props and sets. The audience follows the Webb and Gibbs families as their children fall in love, marry, and eventually die.
“This timeless story is about life in a small town,” Holmquist says. “It portrays the seasons of life in a simple, but very moving and relatable way, which makes you stop and think and appreciate your life.”
Holmquist says she chose the play because of its universal appeal to small-town communities.
Casting a community
While the production requires a large cast, Holmquist says finding actors is part of the fun — and a matter of persistence.
“I have been recruiting people for plays for over 17 years. Tenacity is all important,” she says. “I don’t assume people wouldn’t be interested, so I invite almost anyone I know or come into contact with. Eventually, I get enough positive responses to be able to cast even a large show.”
Holmquist recalls once walking into a bakery and recruiting the young man behind the counter — who ended up saving one of her shows after a last-minute recast.
Rehearsals underway
With the cast now assembled since early summer, rehearsals have been moving along smoothly.
“Running rehearsals for a large cast is challenging,” Holmquist admits. “But even when people can’t be there, others fill in to keep things flowing. Everyone has their lines memorized, and we are working on acting and line interpretation.”
She adds that the camaraderie among the cast has been a pleasant surprise. “Sometimes I feel like I am taking them away from their conversations while I am directing,” she laughs.
What to expect
Holmquist notes that Wilder’s classic is staged with very minimal props in order to keep the focus on the characters and their everyday lives.
“The play portrays everyday life situations and occasions in a small town at the turn of the 20th century,” she explains. “We can all relate to these moments.”
She recommends the production for audiences age 10 and up.
When to go
Performance for “Our Town” are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m.
Ticket order forms are available as Ed’s Floral & Gifts, A Gift to Gab, and in a box at the back entrance of Humanities 101 in the North Business Alley. Tickets are $10 per person. Performances are limited to 50 seats per show.
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