Renee Rosenow

All it takes is one night under the Aurora borealis to fall in, or in some cases, out of love.

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.”

Junior Maggie “Pegs” Russell portrays two characters in the play, Sandrine and Marci. She agreed with Wayth and McDaniel on how the play is truthful, funny and cute.

“Every time I watch it, I almost start crying,” she said. “It’s just so adorable.”

Russell said she thinks that while the characters are a little exaggerated and comical, the stories are very realistic and love is a major theme.

“If you want someone, or if you want happiness or if you want something like that, just go get it,” she said. “Just love people.”

Russell said she thinks this message is well-portrayed throughout the play.

An example of an exaggerated situation in the play concerns falling in love. Junior Charlene Lucht, who portrays Ginette, said falling in love may literally mean falling down. Despite that, Lucht said she thinks the characters are relatable.

“I’ve been in so many of those situations,” she said.

For Lucht, the theme also concerns love, but in this play, it is about the things that make people smile. She added that “Almost, Maine” tugs at the heart no matter how many times it is seen.

“(During rehearsal) we know what’s coming, we’ve read the play how many times, during rehearsal it’s just funny to watch . everyone is very emotional,” Lucht said.

In order to portray her characters, Russell said she always tries to put herself in the place of the character.

“I just try to realistically think of how I would feel in that situation and that really works,” she said. “It’s not hard to get into character really.”

McDaniel said when preparing for a role in general, research of the character is necessary, such as history of the character.

“Another important thing to do for any show is to understand the motivations of why (the characters are) doing what they’re doing in the scene, what their goals are and how they’re going to achieve them,” he said.

A unique thing about the play here at the university was early memorization. McDaniel said the cast was required to have the lines memorized before formal rehearsals. He added how that technique is similar to professional theater.

“It was hard to get them fully memorized,” McDaniel said. “But it was a nice way to do things.”

Russell said the play is a crowd pleaser and pertains to a wide audience.

“Even if you’re not dating someone, even if you’re not into lovey-dovey stuff, it’s a really good thing for people to just come out and see what their classmates are doing,” she said.

Lucht agreed that it suits all audiences.

“It doesn’t really require a certain sophistication,” she said. “You can relate to the different emotions, at least that are being presented.”