LIFE IN SMALL TOWN NEBRASKA Bobbie Clearly is set in the fictional town of Milton, Nebraska.


Nebraska, which sits at almost the geographic center of the United States, comes from the Otoe Indian words for “flat water,” a reference to the Platte River, which flows through the state.


Nebraska is part of the Great Plains, and many current residents descend from European-Americans who moved west in the 1860s-1880s to farm and ranch. Today, Nebraska’s economy revolves around farming and cattle- raising. 93% of the land in Nebraska is farm or ranch-land (the highest percentage in the country), and 25% of all jobs are connected to agriculture.


As the playwright describes it, Milton is “a small town of less than a thousand. Technically, not even a town: a village.” In a town of that size, graduating classes may only have 20 students. Everyone knows everyone, and knows everyone else’s family. Go to the grocery store and you’ll run into your math teacher, who is also the school’s basketball coach. And your cousin, who works as the store’s cashier, will check you out.


Milton is a rural town, meaning that it’s not geographically near or economically connected to a larger city. Surrounded by cornfields, the town is dependent on the corn industry for its livelihood. If a major corn producer were to close or leave the area, many of the town’s residents would be unemployed, with nowhere else to apply for jobs. After high school, graduates have limited options for employment if they want to remain in town.


Hay bales in a field


Community engagement is high in small towns. Political and bureaucratic decisions happen locally, and residents can directly see the effect of their votes. For example, a town might vote on whether or not to pave a road. Each resident knows the road and knows how much more they’ll pay in taxes. Similarly, everyone knows those in law enforcement and elected positions personally.


Retail in a small, rural town is typically a grocery store, a dollar store, and a farm supply store. Other purchases require a drive to the nearest metropolitan area. Rural towns also usually support a post office, library, gas station, and one or two restaurants or bars. Businesses close early. Internet and cell phone service is slower, and residents have fewer options for carriers.


A rural gas station


Schools are the social centers of small towns. Sporting events (especially Friday night football games), concerts, and plays are major social events, and school buildings function as community centers, hosting meetings and events year-round.


Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H Club are popular in rural areas. Both are youth development programs that focus on leadership and agricultural skills. Participants often raise livestock or crops and enter them into competition at local and state fairs.


Hunting, primarily for deer and turkey, is an integral part of the culture of rural places and is regulated by the state Game and Parks Commission as part of a broader conservation and resource management effort. Waking early, hiking, and waiting in the forest or fields for game is a rite of passage. The animals killed are butchered, frozen, and used for food throughout the year.


Milton, like small towns across the country, is a proud community with traditions and history closely connected to the land and the heritage of those who make it their home.•


6 ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24