Some might say living a rural life can be intense and emotional, despite the simpler surroundings.

Thornton Wilder’s classic play “Our Town” attempts to show life in its most basic, stripped-down, exulted and glorious form.

There are no props, and the set consists of nothing except some tables and chairs. Everything is centered on the characters’ thoughts and relationships.

The viewers’ imaginations fill in the rest, with the help of a narrating “stage manager.”

The play is about making the most of every moment, said Jane Cox, professor of music and the director of “Our Town.”

“It’s always a script that meant a lot to me for that,” Cox said.

Her first encounter with “Our Town” was at 16. It was the first professional production she saw and it changed her life, making her want to live each moment fully.

The play is in some ways a play of cliches, with the two lead characters, George and Emily, growing up in the same small town, falling in love and getting married.

However, Cox said its honest, thorough approach gives the characters and the play as a whole a surprising depth.

“It’s like a little ‘Pleasantville’ world at first,” said Malary Harris, senior in performing arts, who will play the part of Emily.

But one of the strengths of the play, she said, is that it doesn’t stop there.

“There is a harsh reality in life and it kind of comes around to everything,” she said, referring to the weighty issues the characters eventually encounter.

Genya Coffey, senior in elementary education, will play the part of Emily’s mother, Mrs. Webb, and said her character “has a lot of depth to her.”

The things she faces each day, and especially the tragic events that come into her life, make her a heroic figure, Coffey said.

It’s in the small things that her heroism is found, she said – like making sure everything at home is kept in order.

“It makes you want to call your mommy and tell her you love her,” Coffey said.

Coffey cited the importance of caring for people you come into contact with as a major theme of “Our Town,” whether those people are daughters, milkmen or delivery boys.

“Everybody depends on everybody,” she said.

The play’s small-town setting allows that dynamic to show up loud and clear because the rhythm of the characters’ daily lives is intertwined.

Matthew Lampe, freshman in physics, is playing the part of George.

Lampe said he could identify with the theme of a tightly knit community.

“The play’s town is actually probably the exact same size as my hometown,” he said.

Joel Perkins, ISU alumnus, employee of Garst Seed Company and stage manager of “Our Town,” said he thinks Iowans will be able to identify with the small town as a community.

If the play were about a big city like New York, he said, it wouldn’t have the same effect.

“They would go into it with their preconceptions and leave with their preconceptions,” he said.

Cox said even though the play was first performed in the late 1930s and is set even further back at the turn of the century, audience members will still be able to take something valuable away today.

“The times have changed, but hearts remain the same,” Cox said.