On November 23rd at 7 pm and November 24th at 2 pm, Franklin High School Theatre Company will present “Almost, Maine” in the FHS auditorium.

Written by John Cariani, Almost, Maine is a vignette-style play telling the story of a small town in Maine near the Canadian border. Each of these smaller vignettes make up the entire plot, all while examining themes of love, hope, and heartbreak.

Director Mr. Grossman is looking forward to presenting his first FHS theatre company play. “Almost, Maine challenges the actors to be present, honest, and open as they navigate two and three person scenes.  With the shift in the theatre company this year, I felt it was appropriate that I get to know my students on a smaller scale, only to later take on larger and more ambitious performance projects,” he says.

When holding auditions for the production, Mr. Grossman had nineteen roles available to students, and exactly nineteen students auditioned. “This project was meant to be for the theatre company, and I know audiences will appreciate the beauty, magic, and honesty that the play provides,” he says

With such a unique show that only features a few actors at a time, Almost, Maine has had a slightly different rehearsal process in comparison to other productions. Mr. Grossman comments on how this has shaped the production, saying that “Taking the opportunity to work with two actors at a time allows me to dedicate and focus on their areas of strength, while at the same time offering suggestions on how to break certain habits.  Each day I work with two actors, having begun in the Black Box, where we would explore the scenes elements, and character relationships.  We are now in the next phases of transposing the work onto the main stage.”

Students have been working extremely hard on this production over the past few months. Not only does the plat feature a great group of actors, but also a creative team of set designers, costume designers, lighting/sound technicians, and stage managers. You can read more about members of the cast and creative team on the new theatre company website: FHS Theatre Company

Senior Chloe Selznick will play the role of Glory, alongside senior Cutler Whitmore playing the role of East. Selznick says “This is such a great show, I’ve had a wonderful experience working with this cast and creative team, and I am really looking forward to the performances.” The entire cast is excited to present this production after all of their hard work over the past few months.

Mr. Grossman adds, “Audience members will find themselves relating to at least one of the stories presented throughout the performance. It truly takes a group of young and incredible artists to pull off this show. We truly hope you will not miss this!”

Tickets are available for purchase at this link: https://www.onthestage.com/show/franklin-high-school-theatre-company/almost-maine-58249/tickets. Student tickets are $5 and adults are $10. At-the-door tickets will be sold for $7 for students and $10 for adults.