By Amy Batista, Special Writer
HIGHTSTOWN – Theatergoers are invited to take a journey where the residents find themselves falling in and out of love in the strangest ways and life is never the same as the Hightstown High School presents its rendition of the Off Broadway production “Almost, Maine” this week.
“Almost, Maine is a play about love, the many different types of love, the moment two individuals fall in love, fall out of love, experience love for the very first time and all set under the majestic and breathtaking display of the northern lights, the Aurora Borealis visible in the fictitious town of Almost, Maine,” said Hightstown High School Choral and Drama Director Tallen Olsen in an email.
“Love is universal,” he said. “Guests could expect to be reminded of the times in their lives they have experienced love, being loved, and those fond memories of their first love.”
They may also remember those times in their life when love was heartbreaking, he added.
“Losing love is a part of life and one that requires healing,” he said.
Performances will be Thursday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. in the high school auditorium. There will be a senior citizen performance on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10. Students with student I.D. and senior citizens are $8. Children under 12 years of age are $6.
Mr. Olsen said that typically the fall drama generates between 500 and 1,000 attendees. He said that the cast is an ensemble of actors from all grades portraying characters that are just everyday people in the town of Almost, Maine.
“It’s difficult to explain the characters, and since the play is set up differently than most plays are, it’s better to just experience it,” he said.
There are 19 students in the cast this year.
“Almost, Maine,” is a play by John Cariani, comprising nine short plays that explore love and loss in a remote, mythical almost-town. It premiered at the Portland Stage Company in Portland, Maine, in 2004 where it broke box office records and garnered critical acclaim. The show later went on to be one of the most frequently produced high school plays across the county in the years following. There are 10 short scenes: Her Heart, Sad & Glad, Getting It Back, Seeing the Thing, Story of Hope, Where It Went, This Hurts, They Fell, Epilogue, and Prologue, and Interlogue, according to its district website.
“Each summer, I read several plays to find the right one for the students to perform,” said Mr. Olsen. “I look for works from the cannon of theatre that will inspire them to give their best performances while also challenging them to become better at the craft of acting.”
He said that this play in particular struck several chords within him and is a story.
“I felt that I had to tell (it) and could tell believably with the skill level of my student actors,” he said.
He said that the Hightstown High School Drama Club seeks to educate students and the community about the theatrical arts.
“The club promotes learning about theater through our productions that enhance the educational goals of the theatrical discipline,” he said. “It also strives to foster an appreciation of all forms of the performing arts and to provide opportunities for artistic growth within the organization itself as well as within the community.”
