Actress Teri Lee Thomas discusses Harlequin Productions’ ‘Our Town’

Published August 10, 2026

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Actress Teri Lee Thomas, who has such a special light and incredible talent. Every time she comes into town, it is a privilege, and we are so lucky because we not only got to witness her in Harlequin Productions’ Sweat last weekend, but we also get to witness her step into the shoes of the Stage Manager in HQP’s production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town this October.

This conversation was like a cup of tea for the soul. I invite you to grab a cup of your favorite tea and a little treat as you enjoy our conversation about one of the best plays of all time.

Discussing Our Town

Benton: This has been my favorite season that Harlequin has done because of its message. It’s so timely and powerful, and I am stoked out of my mind because they are doing Our Town, and that is my favorite play.

Thomas: “It’s mine too!”

Benton: Ooo, tell me why!

Thomas: “Our Town is gorgeously written; it is utterly simple, but also at the same time about a huge story about what makes us human and what connects us. It is about where the joys come from in our day-to-day lives, and how we usually miss those things. To me, Our Town is a valentine to the power and the magic of the theater. It is theater where playwright Thornton Wilder has stripped bare all the normal trappings of theater and says, ‘We can transport you without those things. We don’t have to have a unit set, fancy lights, or costumes. We need storytellers and human relationships.”

“You see a town that could be anywhere, any country in the world. You see families, parents, people fall in love, people die, and see people reflect on what matters to them, and those who don’t because they are too busy living. There is no more human story than that.”

“The character of the Stage Manager, which I will play, is both of the world in the play, and is the narrator and the person who holds the play, presents it, and conjures it for the audience. Largely, my scene partner is the audience, and that is a very interesting position to be in as an actor. I am one of the audience, I am one of the play, and I take on different roles in the town as well.”

“It’s a really intimate, human story that is still very, very relevant, but still magical. It’s charming, heartwarming, funny, and heartbreaking all at once. We all recognize people in that town; we know them, and those people in that town are us. It’s a very universal story.”

“The Stage Manager role is a very iconic role that men have often played. As a woman, it is a treat to get to play it, and that director Aaron Lamb is embracing me doing it. I believe it will add a maternal, wise, female overarching presence that some productions don’t have, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out.”

Benton: The idea of the maternal instinct that you are going to bring to this, that male-presenting narrators have not presented, excites me. I am going to pivot, but follow me for a second. The way I look at God, I believe that God can be a Father and a Mother, transcending the idea of gender. I wonder if there is a God-like attribute to the role of Stage Manager?

Thomas: “Absolutely! I’ve been studying for months to understand the purpose of this role in this play. I have read different notes from people who have studied or done this play. Many people have said it’s partly God presenting and creating the world. Some have said it’s the voice of Thornton Wilder. Some have said, ‘no, no, no, it’s another theater player who plays multiple roles and is the narrator.’ At this moment, I’m inclined to think it is a little bit of all of those things. I think the Stage Manager holds the play, builds the play, guides it, and gives it to the audience as a gift. This means I can’t get too emotionally involved in it, or feel all the feels, because if I do that, you will be less inclined to do it yourself.”

“I’ve talked with Lamb already, and that is where we are thinking we are going to go.”

Benton: As you have been doing your research about this play, what is something new you have learned?

Thomas:‍ “On a purely technical level, I had no idea there were so many versions of this play. The original edition was written in the 1930s, and it has been such a well-loved play. Over time, there have been some big and small changes made to the script that I was not aware of. I’m working now on reading all of those different versions and trying to put them in my brain before rehearsals begin so that I can kind of hit the ground running a bit because we only have 3 weeks of rehearsal, plus tech and previews. That’s short! I wanted to sit with this play for months, not weeks!”

“I think in Lamb’s mind, I don’t want to speak for him, and we haven’t started rehearsals, but the brief thing he talked about was that we will all be in the same space together. Actors will be out in the house, coming and going, switching some roles, building the scenes, very much so a community of storytellers.”

“I will say it’s daunting because so many people have put their iconic stamp on the Stage Manager. Paul Newman, Hal Holbrook, Spalding Gray. People have their thoughts on who that Stage Manager is, and what this play looks and sounds like. It is both daunting and exciting for me to carve out my own version of it.”

Benton: I remember my A.P. Language and Composition teacher, junior year, sharing this play with us, and I am so honored that she will be attending this performance with me. I have fond memories of reading Emily’s “Goodbye World” speech, and my teacher’s assignment to write our own speech and create a piece of artwork to accompany it.

Thomas: “Oh, that’s perfect, and what a great assignment to give high school students. Write your own ‘Goodbye World’ speech, that’s the perfect assignment.”

Benton: What would be in your “Goodbye World” speech?

Thomas: “This is such a lovely question … cats on my lap, perfectly roasted coffee, watching my husband paint. I’m going to start crying; he’s a painter, he’s an artist. Spring flowers coming up every year, sharing a meal with a wonderful best friend.”

You know what is in my Goodbye World speech? All of you dear readers, and all the wonderful artists, artistic organizations, and friends we have amongst us. Our Town is truly incredible; don’t miss this production while it is in our beautiful corner of the world. Click here to purchase your ticket now!