Thornton Wilder is known primarily for his play “Our Town,” a three-act play about an average town and its citizens. The theatre department at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) will soon change that. Wilder wrote a comedic one act called “Childhood,” and Taylor Purdee, FCLC ’14, has chosen to bring it to life onstage.

Purdee, the director/set designer for the production, enrolled in a directing class and was given an array of plays to choose from. He chose this one because of the way Wilder wrote it. Wilder was minimalistic and focused on connecting all things within his plays, from his lines to his sets. This is why Purdee did both the set design and directon – the set is directly connected to how the play is portrayed.

Purdee said that Wilder tried to recreate certain elements of childhood in the audience’s hearts and minds. The show is about adult experiences seen through children’s eyes.

“When you’re a kid, everything is new, everything is flat – there is no history behind a thing, no details, just broad strokes. Children’s minds fill in the detail by themselves,” Purdee said. “This is what Wilder achieves, what he wanted. This play is a chance for the audience to break away from certain understandings of how the world works and see what isn’t normally seen in life, spirit and names. Everything in this show has the potential to be exactly what it looks like, but is not what it seems.”

Certain aspects of Purdee’s adaptation of the play deviate from Wilder’s original style. There is a fight scene in which the children pretend that the bus driver has become a cowboy, resulting in a shootout. This is recreated very literally, contrary to what Wilder originally wanted. There will be guns, blood and a strobe light.

Purdee said the actors are “smart, attractive, good, clever and friends.” They are perfect for this show, better than older actors Purdee said, because as college students, “they are coming out of childhood, and looking back on it as adults.” They have enough of the childish qualities needed to play children, but also the maturity to make the show interesting.

Jon Bremner, FCLC ’14, the composer and sound designer for the show said, “I can say that there is a certain charm to the story. In a very short amount of time it raises a few extremely pertinent questions about the nature of becoming an adult and as it is a piece being performed at the college level, there is a very interesting relevance to these questions that is sometimes lost in the restrictions of casting. I think the cast is very well chosen and I am looking forward to the presentation of the show.”

It is a dark, intellectual comedy with a “Twilight Zone” feel to it. It is unclear who is telling the story, and there seems to be a constant need to see into each other’s minds, which just is not possible. Seeing an unknown Wilder piece is sure to be a treat, and the direction this production is headed makes it all the more fascinating.