Linny filled in Nancy about her time in Asheville, North Carolina where she was deployed by the American Red Cross. Linny notes that she dropped off the interview, due to user problems, Linny says. Linny and Nancy also reminisce about the time they had visiting a week earlier. Nancy talked about her time in New York City seeing shows and friends. Linny assures Nancy that going to plays is awesome and it was great they were each able to do the things they love. Today they interview Dr. Terryl Hallquist about Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake. Terryl Hallquist is Professor Emerita of Theatre at Vanderbilt University Department of Theatre where she taught for 33 years. Her emphasis was acting and directing, including directing a production of Our Town, among many others. Professor Hallquist is a member of the Board of Directors of the Thornton Wilder Society and is the Performance Review Editor the Thornton Wilder Journal. She earned her Ph.D. in Directing and Theatre History from the University of Michigan. And she received her undergraduate degree in Theatre Education and Studio Art from Nebraska Wesleyan University, right in Lincoln, Nebraska. Terryl tells us she got interested in theatre through her childhood interest in dance. She got involved in theatre in high school and then majored in theatre in college and went on to get her PhD in theatre. For her, it felt like less of a decision and more of a given. Nancy notes that Ann Patchett writes in the Author’s Note at the end of Tom Lake that she hopes the book will turn readers back to Our Town and all of Wilder’s work. She says, “Therein lies the joy.” Nancy asks Terryl to talk about Thornton Wilder and his work. Terryl tells us he is an icon of American literature and stage. Wilder won Pulitzer Prizes for dramatic literature and novels. He has a giving spirit in his writing. He was born a little before the turn of the 20th century and died in the 1970s. When his father became an ambassador to China, he spent a lot of time living around the world. His mother was an educated woman who encouraged her children’s cultural education. Linny reveals she’d never heard of Thornton Wilder. She asks Terryl why she should care about him. Terryl tells her a little about some of his other work, including his, The Matchmaker, which became the musical, Hello Dolly! Terryl says OUR TOWN is an important play as he illustrates his idea that he is a witness to what he saw going on around him. Each year, theatre artists present OUR TOWN to reflect what they see going on in the world around them, including the new revival that just opened on Broadway. It’s said that every night, OUR TOWN, is being performed somewhere in the world, and not just the US. Terryl talks about the universal themes of appreciating even the smallest moments of our lives and the relationships we have. Nancy and Terryl were just in New York. Terryl tells us about the Wilder Society’s award to Ann Patchett and the panel discuss Ann participated in. Patchett’s husband was also Terryl’s internal medicine doctor! Terryl liked the importance of the revival on Broadway and delighted in Jim Parsons as the Stage Manager, as well as the design work, and acting. She says anytime you can see OUR TIME, you should. She is heading to a production in Tennessee in a couple days. Terryl says Patchett describes the character of Emily very well. Terryl says as a director, the character interpretation must come from within the actor. In TOM LAKE, Lara is told many times that she was the greatest Emily of all time. Terryl was skeptical and jealous of all the love Lara received. Terryl bought Lara’s assessment of her very limited acting abilities. Of course, not every actor can play every part. Though, Meryl Streep does the audio recording of TOM LAKE and is brilliant at all the roles. Terryl feels that Patchett captures the isolation of a summer stock theatre world. She says the intensity of working on a play often results in the closeness of a family. She stays in touch with students she’s had over the decades. Nancy notes the pandemic bubble is similar to the theatre bubble. Terryl heard Ann speak in Nashville and Ann mentioned that she based the three sisters off a friend’s three daughters. Ann said that she learned that during the pandemic, young women were thinking about climate change, reproductive rights, the pandemic, and the ability to love who you love. Nancy thought the three sisters were inspired by Chekov’s Three Sisters. Terryl says, almost certainly that must have had an influence. They talk about the other theatrical allusions in TOM LAKE. The former director of a summer theatre agreed to help Ann capture the feel of a summer stock company. Ann also mentioned at the Nashville event that is she had it to do over, she’d have studied acting since it is something that she does as the “character” of Ann Patchett. Terryl and Nancy talk about the challenges theatre companies have been facing in drawing audiences back following the pandemic. Terryl says theatre is a communal experience and the audience helps shape the play. Every night is different because of the audience. It’s like going to church and sporting events: they are experienced better in person. Terryl tells us the Thornton Wilder Society is active in supporting the journal, giving awards to those who raise up Wilder. Terryl says she has been to Ann’s bookstore many times and she makes you want to read all the books she recommends. It’s amazing to Terryl that Ann is able to run a bookstore, read so much, and write so much. Terryl thinks Patchett will have her wish in turning readers back to Wilder. Terryl tells Nancy that as the Performance Review Editor for the Thornton Wilder Journal, she recruits experts from around the globe to review productions of Wilder’s plays. In England, THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH is known as WE GOT AWAY WITH IT. She says just when you think you’ve exhausted OUR TOWN, someone comes up with a new interpretation. You may not agree with it, but it’s always interesting. Nancy tells Linny that Terryl emailed her following our interview and noted that Ann Patchett herself had not seen a production of OUR TOWN before the latest Broadway one! Kenny Leon, the director and the rest of us were astounded by this information!