Bringing the quintessential American play about small-town New Hampshire life in the early 1900s to a European capital at a time when American cultural exports carry complicated weight might seem risky. However, for the cast of expats and local actors staging Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in Prague this month, the choice feels less like cultural imposition and more like recognition of something universal.

The Prague Shakespeare Company’s new production brings Grover’s Corners to life through a multinational ensemble, exploring how a play rooted in early 20th-century America can resonate across cultures. With minimal props and extensive use of miming, the production relies heavily on imagination, inviting the audience to become active participants in the storytelling.

The production was developed through a collaboration between Bob Boudreaux, who co-produces and plays the Stage Manager, and Guy Roberts, Artistic Director of the Prague Shakespeare Company. The two have previously worked together on productions including Man of La Mancha, The Crucible, Clue, and King Lear. When Roberts proposed Our Town, Boudreaux said he was immediately convinced.

Boudreaux, who studied under playwright Edward Albee, described the play as “the greatest American classic,” echoing Albee’s own assessment. He also shared that his first encounter with the play was during a high school production in his hometown in New England, where he was rejected for a role. Decades later, he is now performing as the Stage Manager.

Although Our Town is closely associated with American theatre, it has a long international history. The play has been revived on Broadway three times since 2003, most recently in 2024, and is scheduled for a Welsh National Theatre revival in London later this month. In Czechia, the play has been staged multiple times by the National Theater since the 1980s.

Director Ash Visker said the production reflects the idea that Our Town speaks not only to small-town America but to small communities everywhere. With many of the cast members being expats living in Prague, Visker noted that the ensemble naturally formed its own version of a “town” through shared experiences and collaboration.

The cast includes Ruby Brandon making her debut as Emily, Stanislav Callas as George, and a diverse group of American, Turkish, and Czech performers, including Begum Burian, Pavel Caldr, Marko Adetunji, and Kristi Voskova. Finding English-speaking actors of different ages in Prague presented challenges, but the final ensemble represents a broad mix of nationalities and backgrounds.

The minimalist staging, which uses only lights and chairs, places greater responsibility on the actors to communicate meaning through physical performance. According to Boudreaux, this requires precision to avoid exaggerated or unrealistic movements. Visker added that the process encouraged the cast to rethink how everyday objects and actions could be represented on stage.

The production also makes use of Wilder’s signature fourth-wall breaks, where characters address the audience directly. Visker compared this technique to Shakespeare’s asides, while Boudreaux pointed out that Czech audiences are familiar with similar devices through the work of playwright and former president Václav Havel.