The Oklahoma State University Department of Theatre is gearing up for its third main stage production for the 2015-2016 school year. John Cariani’s Almost, Maine will be preformed Feb. 18-20 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 21 at 2:30 p.m. in the Vivia Locke Theatre, located in the southwest corner of the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts.

“Almost, Maine is a charming story of a single, magical night in the small town of Almost, Maine,” said Bailey Robert, graduate student of the department and director of the show. “The northern lights come alive and many of the residents come face to face with love—old and new—as they take bold risks into the unknown or face reality for the first time in a long time. Love is lost, found, confused, and created, and nineteen members of the Almost community will never be the same.”

Robert said her favorite part of directing the show is working with performers of all kinds. 

“I love finding just the right way to communicate my vision to the actors I’m working with; the two people on stage may need very different things from me to make the magic happen,” Robert said.

Main female actor and senior, Kia Dorsey, says her favorite part is watching the cast grow and learn during the rehearsal process. 

“We make our characters more believable and relatable for the audience, and it’s interesting to watch the other actors embody the multiple characters each of us play,” Dorsey said.

The five cast members together will play a total of nineteen characters throughout the play. For example, in one scene Dorsey plays a woman who attempts to return all the love she’s ever received from the boyfriend who just can’t seem to ever propose marriage; in another she plays a women who meets a man while saying goodbye to her recently deceased husband. 

Robert said a requirement for her master’s degree was working on a creative component, and she chose Almost, Maine in February 2015. The production has already been performed in fall 2015 in the department’s smaller Davis Studio Theatre as a graduate-directed show. 

“The first six months were spent researching and preparing, then auditions were held once school resumed in August,” Robert said.

She said once the cast was chosen, they began an eight week rehearsal which led to the actual show dates in October 2015. 

“We received great feedback from faculty and friends who attended, and once we were given the opportunity to perform again in the spring, we jumped at the chance,” Robert said.

A spring performance meant this time the show would be produced on the Vivia Locke, the main stage of the department. 

“Getting a second go at the show was a dream come true, and we are all finding new moments and surprises within the script we already know so well,” Robert said.

However, if you attended the show in October, we encourage you to come back and see it again because the production has been slightly changed and there will be more to it.

“This play will make you laugh one minute and cry the next,” Dorsey said. “Also, be open-minded with the idea and definition of ‘love’ because love can be felt through all races, ages and genders.”

Robert said she hopes this play is something everyone can relate to. 

“I hope the audiences leave Almost, Maine thankful for their own experiences falling in and out of love, maybe even seeing them in a new light, and holding the ones they love a little bit closer once the curtain closes,” Robert said.

Dorsey says she is emotional with this being her last show at OSU, but the friendships she has created has made the thought of the end of her journey a little easier.

“I am happy that I am ending my time at OSU with this particular show because I could not imagine ending with a better cast, crew or director than I have now,” Dorsey said.

If you are interested in purchasing tickets to the show, please visit theatre.okstate.edu. On the homepage there is a spot to click that will lead you to the OSU Marketplace to purchase tickets. You can also come by the Theatre office, 121 Seretean Center for the Performing Arts, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The box office will also be open one hour prior to each show and tickets may be purchased then. Tickets are $7 for students and seniors (55 and over) and $10 general admission. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Theatre office at 405-744-6094 or email Brittany.zerr@okstate.edu.