This year, Guilford’s first fall school play will be Almost Maine, which will be produced on October 26th, 27th, and 28th at 7pm. Ticket price is $5 at the door. The play was originally written by John Cariani and directed by Gabriel Barnes in 2004. Almost Maine opened off Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theater on January 12^th, 2005, and closed on February 12, 2006. Although its off run was brief, the play was featured in Smith and Kraus’ New Playwrights:  Best Plays of 2006 and has proved popular in professional and non-professional theatre worldwide.

“I really enjoy the story of the play,” said Timmy Gaumond, sophomore, who is participating in his first GHS theater production. “I’m very relieved I made it to the final casting. My character is a timid and introverted person named Dave. I was very nervous for callbacks and the audition.”

The play is mostly a romantic comedy in a fictitious setting in a town called Almost, Maine.  The New York Times described the play as, “nine amiably absurdist vignettes about love, with a touch of good-natured magic realism.”

“I get a chance to be in my first school play,” said Kylee Nye, sophomore, who is also participating in her first GHS theater production.  “I was confident in my mind but was mostly nervous at the audition and callbacks. My favorite scene is my character’s scene, but really I love all of them.”

There are two students in each skit: one male and one female.

“It’s a romantic comedy and it takes place in the modern day with each scene having its own magic,” said Mrs. Melissa Wolf, GHS drama teacher.  “This play is currently the most produced high school play across north America.’’

Fifty students auditioned for the roles and nineteen have made it to the play. Almost Maine recently replaced Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as the most-produced high school play.

   The New York Times quoted Doug Rand, Chairman of the licensing company Playscript Inc., regarding the play’s popularity in high schools: “If you are a professional playwright looking to make it in New York, you write something with the smallest possible cast. Amateur theatre groups want to have as big as big a cast as possible. New York really hasn’t generated that kind of work in decades. So when you come across that kind of work, it’s like water in the desert.’’

The Times described the play as “a beautifully structured play, with nifty surprise endings and passing references to characters from other vignettes.”