This year’s spring play at SBHS is “Almost, Maine,” a series of short stories and scenes about the meaningful relationships, important conversations, and heartfelt moments that all take place in the tiny fictional town of Almost, Maine. The play, released in 2004, was written by John Cariani, who is also known for his role in “Law and Order” from 2002 to 2007 as CSU Tech Beck.
Unlike a typical play with one storyline, “Almost, Maine” is made up of different scenes that are only loosely connected. Each one focuses on different characters, each dealing with topics like love, heartbreak, and friendship. The play takes place during one cold night in the town of Almost, Maine — a place that’s ‘almost’ a real town because it was never officially built up or organized.
The cast includes William Baumgarden as Pete, Bella Schroeder as Ginette/Waitress/Suzette, Nico Spillett as East/Randy, Kamryn Michaelsen as Glory/Hope, Grant Cynor-Ford as Jimmy/Phil. Emily Behnke as Sandrine/Rhonda, Truth Salamone as Steve/Man, Callie Waibel as Marvalyn/Marci, Lee Sare as Lendall/Dave, and Paige Capitano as Gayle/Shelly.
Even though the play is mostly a comedy, it still has a lot of emotional moments. Some scenes are funny and intentionally awkward, while others are much more serious. That balance is part of what made the show so enjoyable to watch and sets it apart from other productions.
Behind the scenes, the crew began working on lighting, sound, costumes, and set design far in advance. It turned out beautifully, with the set being designed in a way to match the tone and feel of the play and pulling it off spectacularly.
The crew includes Ollie VanOrsow and Charlie Babjar as Stage Managers, Emma Cunningham as Lights & Sound Operator, Jade Matheny as Costume Crew, and Mya Burgess as Stage Crew.
Auditions took place toward the end of March, with rehearsals taking place all throughout April. During that period, students, both cast and crew, spent hours after school preparing for the show’s run. Despite the stress that comes with the territory, the outcome of the production is always worth it in the end.
Though the show’s runtime has completed, with the last dates in early May, even after they added nights due to demand, the Barlow Theatre program is still very active. They’ll be back next year with another play and musical, to be announced at a later time, and sharpen their skills in the meantime, so don’t miss out!
As for this show, “Almost, Maine” was a fantastic play, and Barlow’s theatre program did it right. All those lucky enough to catch it are surely glad they did, and anyone who hasn’t should be sure to keep an eye out for the next performances the program produces.
Aside from the success of this year’s productions, the Theater department was also successful at the State Thespian Festival, which took place from April 9 to April 11 in Salem, Oregon. Barlow was named the State Champions in the Large Group Musical category, which included Bella Schroeder, Elsie Wood, Grace Bayles, Jade Matheny, Jai Jointer, Josie Williams, Kamryn Michaelsen, Lauren Gayken, Lee Sare, Lucius Lopez, Nico Spillett, Noah Sou, Spencer Neighorn, Ty Rosenblad, Violet Ross, and William Baumgarden.
Aside from that accomplishment, Spillett also received perfect scores for the Contrasting Monologues category. Samantha Stanberry was also given an Honorable Mention in the Playwriting category.
A group of actors also performed the play “Bang, Bang You’re Dead” for the One-Act Marathon and received a Superior Trophy after scoring 104/105. The cast included Alanna Lozzi, Alex Swartz, Anna Camp, Bella Schroeder, Conner Clark, Elli Cheney, Emily Behnke, Emma Cunningham, Grace Bayles, Grant Cynor-Ford, Isabelle Jensen, Jake Forrest, Jai Jointer, Leah Stanberry, Levi Reynolds, Mya Krein, Nico Spillett, Paige Capitano, Raelyn Jensen, Rubye Osmon, Sophia Massey, Spencer Neighorn, and Truth Salamone.
Congratulations to the entire Theatre department on a successful year and competition season!
