Selections from Almost, Maine presented at Saint Michael's College

Part of being a theater major here at Saint Mike's includes presenting a senior exhibition project, a culmination of your time and experience here. It can be directing a show, acting, designing, or even (I recently discovered) writing a paper. The usual way of things is for seniors to act in a mainstage or to put on their own play. Last year there were three senior seminar plays: A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Henry V, and Reason and the Sword. This year, however, the guidelines for the exhibition projects have changed and the senior projects are no longer funded by the drama club; in fact, if they are not part of a department mainstage, they have no budget at all. They now have to be about an hour long, no more, and have to be very light tech-wise, which is frustrating for me because I would love to have more freedom with my senior project two years from now.

Almost all of the seniors this year, in lieu of the normal small plays produced, acted in a mainstage production with the theater department. The only senior who continued planning her show without hesitation was Laura Michelle, who was introduced to Almost, Maine by John Cariani several years ago with the Saint Michael's Playhouse production, has dreamed of acting in this play ever since.

This weekend, Laura's dream is finally coming true. Directed by sophomore extraordinaires Liz Levenson and Molly Ziegler, these four scenes from Almost, Maine are a satisfying blend of humor and heartwarmth. Each scene is set at 9pm on a single night in a little town called Almost, in northern Maine, with couples falling in or out of love. The vignettes are sweet, quirky, fun, and often touching. This production will be a vehicle to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Starring Laura Michelle, Josh Bardier, Mike McKinney, Jenn Robbins, Zach Pratt, and Dave Ingalls, these vignettes are something you won't want to miss.

This play is also my first time designing lights entirely by myself (with LOADS of help from Reeni Bishay and lots of advice from John Devlin, Peter Monahan, and Rory Fitzgerald). I can't thank these people enough :) Now that the meaty chunk of tech rehearsals is over with, I am relaxed and pleased with how Almost, Maine looks. Two scenes take place indoors and have a bright, warm look; the other two, along with the Prologue, Interlogue, and Epilogue, take place outdoors on this cold night, and are lit with a combination of stars, Northern Lights, and moonlight. I am truly proud of how my first design has turned out.

In addition, Josh Bardier designed the costumes (while acting in the play and starring in last week's production of The Notebook of Trigorin) and they transform the student actors into real live residents of northern Maine. Laura Michelle worked on sets and props, and while simple and straightforward, they add spice and life to each scene. Matt Fitzgerald is our sound man. Big thank you to Marla Caram, on the sound board; Anthony Bassignani on the light board; again, Reeni Bishay, my ALD; and to Mary Jo and the rest of the crew. They make things happen and are  fantastic volunteers!

Of course, Third Eye Blind is coming to Saint Mike's on Friday the 16th; and Almost, Maine will be performing at 6:30 on Friday to accomodate that. Saturday's performance will start at 8pm. The show is only about an hour, and definitely worth coming to see!