In many books, films or plays, a writer sometimes includes a perspective outside that of the main characters, that of someone who remembers details or events specific to this scenario. Usually in these stories he is called the narrator, but in the play Our Town he is called the stage manager. In Thornton Wilder's masterpiece, the stage manager acts as a narrator and one of the most important characters in the play; revealing the history of the city, foreshadowing the story and providing insight into the setting. The stage manager is the most important character in the play because of all the information he provides to the audience, which helps the viewer understand the play and put it into perspective. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay At the beginning of this play, the stage manager introduces the small town of Grover's Corners, which he says is in New Hampshire. One of the main reasons this character is the most important person in the play is because he introduces the setting. He does this by explaining directly to the audience: “The first act shows a day in our city. It is May 7, 1901. It is just before dawn. The sky is beginning to show some streaks of light there to the east, behind our mountain” (Wilder 5). Without the stage manager at the start of each scene, the audience would not know what is happening, where and when. Each scene introduction provides the audience with vital information so they can clearly understand our city and be able to form a mental picture of what is being described. The description of the setting in the second scene helps the audience get a clear idea of ​​what Gover's Corners is like, based on what the stage manager says: “It's three years later. The year is 1904. It's early in the morning but this time it's raining. It's raining and it's rumbling. Mrs. Gibbs' garden and Mrs. Webb's here: soaked. All those bean poles and pea vines: soaked. All day yesterday, down there on Main Street, the rain sounded like curtains being blown” (Wilder 47). Describing the setting and helping the audience form a mental picture is why the stage manager is the most important character in the play, especially to the audience. Without the scene transitions outlined by the Stage Manager, the transition between scenes would be tricky. Descriptive scene introductions aren't the only reason the Stage Manager is important. Another reason why the stage manager displays overriding importance over the other characters is due to the fact that he foreshadows events throughout the play. During the first scene, when Joe Crowell Junior is handing in some papers and has a conversation with the stage manager, the stage manager then informs us how smart and bright Joe's future was, but then admits, "I'm going to be a great engineer, Joe was , But the war broke out and he died in France” (Wilder 9). The stage manager also foreshadows Mrs. Gibbs' death by sharing, "Mrs. Gibbs died a long time ago, actually." She’s up there in the graveyard now – with a whole mess of Gibbs and Hersey,” this foreshadowing prepares the audience to see her in the final act of the play at the graveyard with Emily (Wilder 7). In addition to the foreshadowing, the stage manager proved to be a very useful resource for the audience when it came to general information about Grover's Corner. It discusses things and people in the town that aren't even entirely relevant to the main characters, but builds up the town's history and paints a picture of a close-knit, healthy community. He discusses one of Doc Gibbs' cases in.