Almost, Maine
For two weekends running, the Department of Theater and Drama presented the romantic dramadie ‘Almost, Maine.’ Set in rural northern Maine, the play consisted of nine vignettes, each taking place somewhere in unorganized territory at 9 pm on the same cold, Friday night. The stories told of couples who lost their romance for one another and rekindled it (or not), or of long lost loves reuniting to find each other different (or the same), or of friends becoming lovers or strangers becoming friends: a hiker camping in a lonely man’s yard; a woman running into her ex-boyfriend at the bar on the night before her wedding; two male friends reconciling their heterosexual affection for each other; a woman who left town after high school and returned to find her sweetheart engaged; a pair of strangers who meet in a laundromat and discover what it feels like to love each other through pain. Each story line is independent of each other, but eventually they all intertwine and create the dynamic story of a rural town community.
It was last Thursday night and I had just arrived at home after my last class before fall break. I was exhausted and ready to watch some Netflix in bed when my housemate spontaneously invited me to join her as an audience member. I knew nothing about the play, just that the script was written by John Cariani of ‘Law and Order’ (so it must be interesting) and apparently it is the most frequently performed high school production in America. Oh, and of course, our good friend Maddie Sharton was performing in it. I always love supporting friends who are active in the arts and I haven’t seen many student theater pieces at U of M, so I decided to go on whim.
I am so glad I did! I was incredibly impressed by the skill of the actors and the professional quality of the entire production. The set design was very minimal. Each vignette featured maybe a simple bench and a lamp, or a pile of snow, or an open doorway, but it was always evident where the story was placing its audience. The lights were etherial and fantastic, very reminiscent of the Northern Lights, which played a key feature in several of the scenes. The language of the script was evident in its symbolism and word play but also very accessible and easy to follow. There was even a sense of magical realism in the playful, imaginary romantic coincidences. I liked how, because the story was built on sub plots, there was no main star. Every character played an equally important role in creating the heart warming tale. After seeing this one performance, I feel sure I will see several of these faces on the professional stage in a matter of years.
The cast was comprised of all BFA in Performing Arts students. It was produced and directed by faculty in the department. Click here for more about ‘Almost, Maine’ and check out the School of Music, Theater, and Dance Facebook page for more on upcoming events.
