DIRECTOR'S NOTE

Almost, Maine is a loosely connected series of vignettes exploring love in all its stages.  All scenes take place on a Northern Maine Friday night between 8:50 and 9:00 p.m.  Taken one by one, these explorations offer interesting glimpses into the lives of the inhabitants of this small town.  Taken as a whole, they offer a reminder that we are all dealing with our own demons and walking our own paths towards self-discovery.  They remind us of the importance of empathy.  As the Northern Lights shimmer to mark the end of the scenes, they remind us of the subtle connections between our stories and those adjacent to ours, how the ripples of our actions nudge the lives of those around us.

In most plays we have done in the past at Davis High, there were a few major roles and several ensemble roles involving fewer lines and less stage time.  Almost, Maine has only principal roles.  It’s mostly two-handed scenes, giving all the actors a chance to inhabit their characters and craft their stories.  As if that wasn’t challenging enough, I decided to cast each actor in two different roles, alternating nightly.  I have been blown away by the way the cast has risen to this challenge, and I hope you will be too.

This play, more than any I have done here at Davis High, was student-driven by a creative, positive, industrious team. Tessa Clifton has been an excellent stage manager, bringing a calm, organized energy and anticipating problems before they materialize. She also designed a beautiful set, capturing the feeling of Almost perfectly.  For the first time, I also had a student assistant director.  Gavin Mark brought a great eye to the process, helping craft scenes and shape characters.  Ailani Gentles took the lead on costuming the show under the expert eye of Tracy Traum. Working with actors to find costumes to support their characters, she helped facilitate two sets of costumes for the show.  Kyle Blewitt spent long hours creating a magical lighting design, including dazzling Northern Lights.  Tinkering to the end, Felix Fuglei created a soundscape to match the mood of the show and helped find ways to effectively amplify sound.  Finally, the Davis High Theater Board took the reins on all other production elements to help Almost, Maine thrive.  I am proud of the contributions of all the students on this production, and hope you enjoy the fruit of their labors.

SPECIAL THANKS

A huge thank you to Tessa Clifton for excellent Stage Management, major dedication to the success of this show, and tireless hard work in making sure everything (from the painted snow to the set changes to so much more) came together wonderfully! 

Thank you to Shenandoah Kehoe for her mentorship and assistance in creating the wonderful set seen before you, and for keeping Theater Board afloat.

DHS Theater would like to extend its gratitude to Gwyneth Bruch for being such a supportive and integral member of the DHS community. Through hours of dedication and mentorship, we thank you for your persistent care throughout the years.

A million and one thanks to Eric Richardson for his endless patience and support with sound, lights, and everything in-between. Thank you so much. We love you.

Thank you to our wonderful director, Chad Fisk, for his wonderful direction and for navigating with grace and compassion all of the chaos and last-minute changes of the past few weeks. We would not have this show without him.

And to our Assistant Director Gavin Mark, thank you for keeping us all in check and making sure we all actually knew what to do by the time tech week hit. You have been wonderful!