Our Town

Jim Powers, the fifth Artistic Director of the Orpheus

Always liked to list Grace

And her success

As one of his biggest accomplishments

As if he gave birth to her or something

It just so happens

He was running the theater

When Grace went to New York for an audition

Landed the role in an off-Broadway show

That went on to Broadway

That had a movie made of it

In which Grace starred

For which she won an Oscar

In case you had trouble following all that

Let’s just say—

She won an Oscar

A member of the Orpheus Acting Company

Won an Oscar

And nobody ever got over it

Of course, as soon as she started becoming successful

Everybody wanted to take the credit

Jim, other directors

Actors claiming they were her best friend

Four articles in the local newspaper

In the span of a month

I mean, I know we come from a small town

But even taking that into consideration

It was a little much

Suddenly, that was what everybody thought

We should be known for

The fact that we produced

A movie star

And I kinda thought to myself

What does that mean for the rest of us?

Are we somehow less talented

Because we didn’t go to New York that day

And get lucky?

Not that Grace wasn’t talented

She was, but jesus

Four newspaper articles

Do you know what it took

To get even one newspaper article back then

About anything?

The writer even suggested

That we change the theater’s name

To the Grace Ashley Theater

Forget about all the work done in that place

That nobody ever gave a shit about

Because it wasn’t being done by movie stars

Forget performance after performance

Show after show

Of quality theater

No, screw all that

We had produced a movie star

That would be our legacy

You know, I never did a movie

No tv shows, never even did extra work

I’m a theater guy, okay?

I do theater

Maybe that’s not worth writing home about

But it was all I ever needed

Nothing against Grace

She was a sweet girl

And I’m glad she has a little statue

That says she’s talented

But you know what?

The fact that this theater has put out

Some of the best talent

This country’s ever seen

Dozens and dozens

Of brilliant actors

And we’re only going to be remembered for one?

That seems wrong to me

That just seems wrong