Spring Break
Let love in
Play demonstrates trials, tribulations of love in small town
Breann Schossow
Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: Scene
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This is just the case in a northern town in Maine.
The production "Almost, Maine" will open at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Kjer Theatre.
The play follows the residents of "Almost, Maine" in a series of vignettes, or short scenes, said Laura Wayth, director and assistant professor of theatre arts.
All the vignettes take place at the same time - Friday night at 9 p.m., in various places throughout the town, she said. An important factor that affects the night's events is the influence of the Aurora borealis.
"Almost, Maine" is about connections and missed connections between people, Wayth said. She added there are some sad scenes because not everything is about falling in love, which the play shows.
"The relationships themselves are very human," Wayth said.
She said she likes the play because the writing is very truthful. Overall, it is a very uplifting piece and a good show for the holidays, she added.
Senior Ryan McDaniel, who plays East and Phil, said the vignettes are between five to 10 minutes long. Except for the two back-to-back sad scenes in the second act, he said the scenes are funny and cute.
McDaniel is not the only actor who portrays more than one character. The play, which has 20 roles, is played by a cast of 11 actors and actresses. This type of casting, Wayth said, is typical of the play because it is an intimate ensemble piece.
"I don't think it would work if you made the cast too large because it is such an intimate piece," she said.
Wayth, a new faculty member, had to choose the play during the summer before she had seen the talent at the university. She picked "Almost, Maine" because she did not know the students or the actors.
"I knew that this was a piece that I would be able to do with a lot of different cast possibilities," Wayth said.
Wayth also said the play is the most fun she has had with a production. While the cast members are very different from one another, they bring something very important.
"They all bring this amazing sense of fun to rehearsal."
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