The Department of Theatre is returning to the stage for their first show of the season; “Almost, Maine.” 

“Almost, Maine” is a romantic comedy written by John Cariani, set in the fictional town of Almost, Maine. The show is divided into a collection of vignettes, with each vignette exploring different aspects of love and relationships between the town’s residents in a single magical night underneath the Northern Lights. 

DayDay Robinson, assistant professor of theatere, is the overall director of the production, fully directing the show’s prologue, interlude and epilogue. 

Robinson said that the scenes are all unique, but all happening at the same time underneath the magic of the Northern Lights.  

“People are falling in love, out of love, there’s always at least two people that have some type of relationship with each other, whether they’re happy or going through issues or trying to break up but they just don’t know how to do it and because of the Northern Lights, the things that happen to them are quirky,” Robinson said. 

Emily Provence, a senior theatre major from Searcy, is the stage manager for the show. Provence said that “Almost, Maine” is a unique show for the Theatre Department. 

“We have a very different structure for this particular show. We have four student directors who are working with two scenes that each have two different actors. So we have actors playing multiple characters in multiple scenes throughout the night,” Provence said. 

Zane Brewer, a junior theatere major from Conway, Arkansas, is directing the scenes “They Fell” and “Sad and Glad.”

Brewer said the production of this show’s set is different compared to others the department has done. 

“We’re in one little corner of the black box and our little corner of the stage,” Brewer said, “I think audiences will be in for a treat due to how intimate it is. They really feel like they’re part of the story.” 

Brewer said that “Almost, Maine” is very human and deals with a variety of emotions. 

“There’s something for everybody, there’s so many lessons that can be learned from this show,” Brewer said. “I think each audience member can come in and find something about themselves from this show.” 

Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Oct. 4 and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 6 in the Simpson Theatre at the Fowler Center. Arkansas State University students can get in free with their A-State student ID. 

Categories: Arts & Entertainment