By The Keystone Newspaper Romantic comedy set in Maine
By Jalal Muhammad
KU Actors Creating Theater (ACT) will host its fall play “Almost, Maine” in the Little Theater of Schaeffer Auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.
“Almost, Maine,” written by John Cariani, is a whimsical romantic comedy that takes place in a remote town in northern Maine. Under the northern lights, on a cold, clear, winter night, the town’s residents experience strange, funny and magical twists of falling in and out of love.
This semester’s play is directed by ACT’s Parliamentarian, Mason Snyder, with Christian Brutsche as Dramaturg.
“It’s a show that tackles the full human spectrum of love, there’s truly a story in it for everyone to relate to,” said Snyder. “That’s what made me love the show at first, but seeing how much everyone is putting into this production, getting to see an audience resonate and love these nine wonderful stories told by such wonderful actors is what has me the most excited of all.”
The play features nine couples, each exploring different stages and types of love. Though the stories stand alone, they are tied together by themes of love, loss, hope and human connection. Together, they portray a community where love feels both impossible and inevitable, told with humor, tenderness and a touch of northern magic.
These nine couples include:
East and Glory, the couple of Renewal, played by Joseph Martin and Karina Hernandez.
Jimmy and Sandrine, the couple of Closure, played by Tommy Scuderi and Grace Spellacy.
Steve and Marvalyn, the couple of Awareness, played by Zach Ismael and Aspen Ott.
Gayle and Lendall, the couple of Commitment, played by Raven Snyder and Will McMahon.
Randy and Chad, the couple of Acceptance, played by Conor McGinnis and Trevor Gorman.
Phil and Marci, the couple of Separation, played by Benjamin Gervinski and Amanda Smith.
Hope and Danny, the couple of Regret, played by Emily Novak and Quincy Sheneman.
Dave and Rhonda, the couple of Courage, played by Adam Steppke and Kora Garcia.
Pete and Ginette, the couple of Longing, played by Billy Beck & Avianna Fetrow.
“They’re really putting themselves into every aspect they could, whether it be the cast, crew, or creative side of things; it’s an incredibly rewarding process,” Snyder said.
Across nine short, interconnected scenes, each couple finds, loses and rediscovers love in different ways. The stories are tender, funny and bittersweet, blending everyday emotion with whimsical, magical twists to show how love can be both unpredictable and breathtaking.
For more information, ACT can be found on Facebook and @act_ku on Instagram.
All photos by Mckenna Maguire @cinemacktic