Patrick Weishampel / Submitted photoSathya Sridharan (left) as George Gibbs and Nikki Massoud as Emily Webb star in the Portland Center Stage production of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.” The Pulitzer Prize-winning play opens tonight in Portland.

Portland Center Stage theater company opens its 2015-2016 season tonight with a fresh interpretation of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Our Town” at the Gerding Theatre at the Armory in downtown Portland.

First performed in 1938, “Our Town” is a three-act play based on the lives of residents of a small, fictional New England town called Grover’s Corners. Their secret desires, family conflicts, loves and losses span 12 years from 1901 to 1913. Wilder uses the theatrical device of a play within a play for “Our Town,” with the character of the stage manager narrating. The central story traces the childhood, courtship and marriage of Emily Webb and George Gibbs, finding universal meaning in the ordinary occurrences of their lives.

Over the years, many renowned actors have starred in various versions of “Our Town,” including Orson Welles, Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman and Helen Hunt. The PCS production features Shawn Fagan as the stage manager, Sathya Sridharan as George Gibbs and Nikki Massoud as Emily Webb, along with a cast of professional actors drawn from throughout the Northwest and across the U.S. PCS associate artistic director Rose Riordan directs.

PCS is among the 20 largest regional theater companies in the U.S., performing a mix of contemporary, classical and original works. Their 2015-2016 season lineup also includes “Sex with Strangers,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “The Santaland Diaries,” The Second City’s “A Christmas Carol: Twist Your Dickens,” “Forever,” “Great Expectations,” “Each and Every Thing,” “Stupid F—ing Bird,” “The Pianist of Willesden Lane” and “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

“Our Town” runs through Oct. 11 with performances at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays (excluding Sept. 27, 29 and Oct. 11), 2 p.m. matinees on select Saturdays and Sundays, and noon matinees on select Thursdays. Due to the subject matter, this production is recommended for ages 12 and over; children under 6 are not permitted. Tickets cost $49 to $70 for adults, $25 for students, with discounts available for groups of 10 or more.

For more information go to www.pcs.org or call 503-445-3700.

— Reporter: 541-383-0350, khimstreet@bendbulletin.com