We can't get them all into one wedding, naturally, and especially not into a wedding at Grover's Corners " To increase his appeal, Wilder intimates that this is a universal wedding. In his words: "There are a lot of things to be said about a wedding there are a lot of thoughts that go on during a wedding.
Wilder's technique is clearer in the second act where the stage manager explains what is happening in the wedding scene. Between the scenes, the Stage Manager interprets for the audience. These short, pictorial scenes are dramatic moments intended to render a nostalgic picture of everyday activities. Later, two of the children return home from school. The two families which are the focus of the drama get their children off to school. Then, the milkman and paper boy make their rounds. Act I is called "Daily Life " Interjecting himself as spokesman, the Stage Manager steps out on the stage and narrates simple facts about the town. He structures each act around a central idea.
He employs a structure which illuminates a theme of timelessness and which allows him to present a generalized view of small-town life in America. He uses the typical three-act division as the basic structure of his play, but from this point on, he varies from tradition. In Our Town, Thornton Wilder sets himself apart from Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, William Inge, and other playwrights of the American theater of his time by his innovations.