Weekend production to honor late instructor's memory

The directors of this weekend's production of "Our Town" say Thornton Wilder's play has a timeless message that touches on themes relevant to everyday life.

The Covington County Schools' Collaborative Arts Program and ReAct Theatre and Arts partnered to produce the show, which will help fund an LBW Scholarship in longtime theatre instructor Eric Lidh's name. Lidh, who died in 2025, was part of LBW's faculty in fulltime and parttime roles for 46 years.

Set in the fictional small town of Grover’s Corners, NH, “Our Town” follows the Webb and Gibbs families as their children grow up, fall in love, marry, and face death. The play uses minimal props and a narrator known as the "Stage Manager" to encourage the audience to appreciate the fleeting beauty of ordinary life.

Jennifer Withrow, founding director of the CCS program and an English teacher at Pleasant Home School, is directing the production. Opp native Brady Walker is assistant director and cast as the Stage Manager. He currently teaches English and theatre at Stanhope Elmore High School in Millbrook.

"This play is about what every person goes through," Walker said. "Growing up, falling in love, getting married, facing death through the eyes of someone you love passing away and themselves eventually. It's about taking time to enjoy every minute you have, because all of those memories make up a person's humanity."

Withrow said, " For us it is a testament to small town communities and taking advantage of living life every minute. That is probably the quote from the show that resonates with me the most. Living life is in the small moments, the everyday, the mundane, the relationships. That's what's important and that's what Our Town celebrates."

For both of them, being a part of the play now is not just good theatre. It's also about paying tribute to a man who mentored many people in the community.

"I was in his theatre program at LBW for two years, and he and I stayed connected until his passing," Walker said. "He would come and see shows I directed in community theatre and school and mentored me through my early years."

Even though Withrow was not a part of Lidh's theatre program, she also valued him as a mentor. She finished her education at Troy University and returned home to Covington County to teach.

"As I came back and started working in schools here and we started developing theatre programs, from my time at Red Level to now, he has always been a huge supporter," she said. "He was appreciative of the efforts I've put in with students. He would just love to come and sit at rehearsal and be in the space with the kids because they are so energizing and he missed it so much. So, he was always an encourager."

ReAct founder and president Roger Powell gives Lidh credit for his involvement in community theatre.

"He took a chance on me and cast me, as a young adult, in a number of roles," Powell said "He always liked to recount - with that laugh he was famous for - my stage forgetfulness."

This is Withrow's first time as a part of "Our Town," which Lidh directed four times. It was both his first and last production in the theatre at LBW, and the 2015 production coincided with the 50th anniversary of the college. 

"I just know Our Town was his favorite play of all time,"' she said. "He loved it. "

Walker was cast as Editor Webb in that 2015 student production. He has since produced it once with his Stanhope Elmore students. This year, he is cast as the Stage Manager, which is a role Lidh sometimes reserved for himself.

"It's humbling. It's been emotional," Walker said.

Powell did 'Our Town' twice with Lidh, filling the roles of Editor Webb and later, the Stage Manager.

For Walker, participating means commuting to rehearsals, and being super prepared for teaching his classes. He's also currently enrolled in graduate school and is in rehearsal with his students for a fall production of "Blithe Spirits."

Withrow also is juggling teaching with rehearsals, graduate work, and family commitments.

What would Lidh think of their efforts in his honor?

"I don't even know if he would say anything," Walker said. "There would just be that Eric Lidh smile he would have. Maybe that smile and the chuckle he always had, but he would truly be speechless."

Both Withrow and Walker agreed the production will be entertaining.

Productions are set for 7 pm. Saturday, Sept. 12, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13. Tickets, which are $20 for adults and $10 for children, are available on EventBrite.