Almost, Maine Written By John Cariani
Setting T13-R7, Aroostook County, Maine Friday Late Evening
CAST Pete/Jimmy/Phil...................................................................................................Brett Robertson Ginette/Marvalyn/Hope............................................................................................Jane Burkitt East/Lendall/Randy/Man...................................................................................Neil Geistlinger Glory/Waitress/Marci/Suzette..........................................................................Kaylee Annable Steve/Chad/Dave.....................................................................................................Derek Nelson Sandrine/Gayle/Rhonda............................................................................................Caitlin Zant CREW Director...................................................................................................... Neil Kristian Scharnick Stage Manager......................................................................................................... Mikaley Osley Scenic Designer.................................................................................. Maureen Chavez-Kruger Costume Designer................................................................................................ Julia Bjorkland Lighting Designer/Technical Director.................................................... Martin McClendon Properties Master.............................................................................................................Liz Lange Sound Designer/Operator............................................................................. Simon Skluzacek Assistant Technical Director........................................................................ William Newcomb Dramaturge.................................................................................................................Jessa Bender Assistant Stage Manager......................................................................................Steven Brown Assistant Lighting Designer..................................................................................Shannon Fox Light Board Operator..................................................................................................Carly Gusto Costume Crew Head................................................................................................Dan Brennan Box Office Manager...................................................................................................Jenna Payne House Manager..........................................................................................................NAME NAME SPECIAL THANKS Jim Guy and the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre The Animal House Jeff Entwistle, UW-Green Bay
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D I R E C TO R ’ S N O T E I made my first journey to Almost, Maine on a cold Valentine’s Day evening two years ago when my wife Erin and I attended the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s production. Both Erin and I were delighted by the play’s simple beauty and everyday magic, but what drew me to the piece and prompted me to consider directing it as part of our season (beyond my insightful wife saying, “You should do that play!”) was something more. The characters we met in Almost were broken—or better stated, they were almost broken. The play isn’t sappy even when it’s romantic, and it’s not exclusively romantic. The people are honest, hard working, and introspective. I liked them immediately and felt as if I already knew many of them. In an introductory passage included in the acting edition of this play, playwright John Cariani cautioned: “Please keep in mind that ‘cute’ will kill this play.” He reminds us that the people aren’t ‘cute’ – many of them are anything but. And what happens to them is rarely cute, but it is always extraordinary. As those who attended Dead Man’s Cell Phone last year already know, I have a fondness for magical realism. I want to understand and be able to relate to the characters in a play, but I prefer when the rules governing the world of the play are meaningfully different from the rules you and I live by. By taking commonplace figurative expressions like ‘broken heart’ and ‘lost hope’ and making them true for us in new, more literal ways, Cariani has created just such a world and just such a play. Understood this way, Almost, Maine is a play made up of ‘pataphors -- metaphors extended and literalized in such a way as to create a new reality. This concept is derived from the pseudophilosophical work of playwright Alfred Jarry, founder of ‘pataphysics. And while Jarry’s work tended toward the surreal, cruel, and ridiculous, Cariani has reinvented the ‘pataphor, utilizing it in a way that’s funny and fresh, human and humanizing, touching and honest. Neil Scharnick T H E AT R E FAC U LT Y Maria Carrig.......................................................Associate Professor of English and Theatre Brian Gill........................................................................................Adjunct Instructor of Theatre Annie Hackett............................................................................... Adjunct Instructor of Dance Kim Instenes........................................ Costume Designer/Assistant Professor of Theatre Laura Jacqmin............................................................................Adjunct Instructor of Theatre Marcella Kearns..........................................................................Adjunct Instructor of Theatre Herschel Kruger.................................Department Chair/Associate Professor of Theatre John Maclay................................................................................Assistant Professor of Theatre Martin McClendon............................ Technical Director/ Assistant Professor of Theatre Faith Mitchell ............................................................................... Adjunct Instructor of Dance William Newcomb........................................................................Assistant Technical Director Stacy Pottinger............................................................Assistant Professor of Theatre-Dance Neil Scharnick............................................................................Assistant Professor of Theatre
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D R A M AT U R G E ’ S N O T E When most people think of Maine, they tend to think of lobsters and the ocean, that everyone is a hunter, and that everyone has that weird accent. That isn’t the Maine that you will see in this play. The Maine you will see is one that is over 200 miles from the ocean where no one has the down east accent. It’s a place with a lot of land, and not so many people, and a place where you can sit outside on a clear night and watch the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights are not unique to Maine, but Northern Maine is one of the best places to see them. The Northern Lights are a product of particles from the sun entering the Earth’s atmosphere at the North Pole and colliding with gas particles. We see the collisions as dancing lights, which come in varying colors from red to green to blue, depending on the gas with which the sun’s particles are colliding. The best time to see these lights is in the winter, but they can be seen on clear nights at midnight during the other seasons. While midnight is the best time to see the lights, they can be seen earlier in the evening, if you are in a place with little light pollution, a place like Almost, Maine. The people of Almost are not unique to Maine. They aren’t hicks, or people who live in the middle of the woods. They are intelligent, hard-working people. They live somewhat simpler lives, away from the hustle and bustle of large cities, but they are not simpletons. They are honest people who can be found anywhere. They are regular people, trying to deal with the complications that arise in romantic relationships. They’re just like you. BIOGR APHIES Kaylee Annable (Glory/Waitress/Marci/Suzette). As a junior, ALMOST, MAINE marks Kaylee’s fourth mainstage production. Some previous shows at Carthage include CABARET, TITLE OF SHOW, BILOXI BLUES, and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. Kaylee thanks her friends and foremost her family for their unending love, support and encouragement. She hopes you find as much heartache, hope and inspiration as she’s found in ALMOST, MAINE. Jessa Bender (Dramaturge) is excited to be the dramaturge for ALMOST, MAINE! She tries to color-coordinate her assignments, and made the ones for this show her favorite color. She worked on props before, but didn’t like it, so she tried dramaturgy. She would like to thank Dragon-Dragon for good times, lots of laughs, and smiley faces everywhere. Jessa is also a senior Theatre and Psychology major.
Julia Bjorkland (Costume Designer) is a senior majoring in Technical Theatre, with special emphasis in costuming. Normally hidden backstage or in the costume shop, Julia is thrilled to be designing ALMOST, MAINE. Previous favorite costume crews include CABARET and BILOXI BLUES. Julia is very happy to be working with the wonderful cast and crew, and wishes them all broken legs and eyelashes! Steven Brown (Assistant Stage Manager) is a junior Technical Theatre major and Studio Art and Physics double minor. He is ecstatic to be a part of ALMOST, MAINE to continue his learning of the various aspects of the technical side of theatre. He would like to thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster for guiding him with his noodley appendages as well as Bri for always pushing him to succeed.
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B I O G R A P H I E S ( c o n t .) Jane Burkitt (Ginette/Marvalyn/Hope) is a sophomore Theatre Performance Major. She would like to thank Neil for this marvelous opportunity, Mikaley for being the best stage manager ever, and the fabulous designers that made the show look and sound beautiful. She would also like to thank her family and friends for being such a wonderful support system, A.J. for being a swell line buddy, and especially God for making all of this possible. Maureen Chavez-Kruger (Scenic Designer) Maureen’s regional design work includes: Milwaukee Repertory Theatre’s THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES, ROUTE 66, and DON’T TOUCH THAT DIAL Part II: THE SPIN-OFF; First Stage Milwaukee’s 10 MINUTES TILL BEDTIME, A WOMAN CALLED TRUTH, and A WRINKLE IN TIME; and productions by Next Act and the Milwaukee Jewish Theatre. Maureen designed the set for Carthage’s CABARET last spring and for LYSISTRATA in 2009. She holds a BA in Interior Design and an MFA in Scene Design from Boston University. Maureen is an Assistant professor of Art at Cardinal Stritch University where she has designed TARTUFFE. She also teaches on an adjunct appointment at Carthage. Shannon Fox (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a junior Theatre Performance and Communication major. Tech experience includes operating projections for SUNDAY IN THE PARK
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WITH GEORGE, sound for a dance show, and stage managing DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE. She’d like to thank Martin and Will for teaching her everything she knows about technical theater, the DU’s for their support, and Elodie for being what really matters. Neil Geistlinger (East/Lendall/Randy/Man) is excited and thankful to be in the Carthage production of ALMOST, MAINE. He would like to thank Neil for this opportunity, his parents and Tim for always being there, and Geena for going the extra mile to support him. Finally, he hopes that he can live up to the Geistlinger “East” reputation. Best wishes to Mack. Liz Lange (Props Master) is a sophomore doubling major in elementary/special education with a theatre minor. She has been involved with theatre since her junior year of high school. This is her first time being prop master and her second time participating in a show at Carthage. She is very grateful for the opportunity to work on this production. Martin McClendon (Lighting Designer/Technical Director) is an Assistant Professor of Theatre. Before he began teaching he spent 10 years working as a professional actor, carpenter, and scene designer in Chicago and Los Angeles. He designed more than a dozen sets for Chicago’s Defiant Theatre, twice receiving Joseph Jefferson Citation nominations for his scenic work. As an actor he has appeared on the stages of Chicago’s Steppenwolf, Northlight, and Victory Gardens theatres among others. Martin has also worked in television, appearing in national and regional commercials, episodes of ER and Early Edition, and several pilots, as well as independent films. He would like to thank Jennifer, Arabella, and Horatio for their support. Derek Nelson (Steve/Chad/Dave) is currently a senior Theatre Performance major. Past roles at Carthage include Eugene Jerome
B I O G R A P H I E S ( c o n t .) (Biloxi Blues), and Derek Neilson (The Railsplitter). Derek is also a member of Merely Players Improvisational Comedy Troupe and The Neil-Futurists. He would like to thank his mother Carol Xandegar for her love and support. He hopes you bitterly enjoy the show! William Newcomb (Assistant Technical Director) holds a B.F.A. in Technical Theatre from Tarleton State University, Stephenville, Texas, and an M.F.A. degree in Arts Administration from Southern Utah University. He was Assistant Manager of the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre for two years, and also serves as Production Manager for Optimist Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park. Other credits include Technical Director of the Wells Fine Arts Center at Tarleton, Assistant Technical Director at Oberlin College, Scene Shop Foreman at Ohio Light Opera, and Assistant Production Manager of the Utah Shakespearean Festival. He thanks his wife Alison for her continued love and support. Mikaley Osley (Production Stage Manager) is a sophomore and she’s previously stage managed two Carthage productions, KINETIC HORIZONS and CABARET. Mikaley is an active playwright and has had three of her productions produced. Her play, The Cure to Writer’s Block: Good Company and Chinese Food was recognized at the 2011 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. She would like to thank Neil for the opportunity, the cast and crew for the memories and her family for the support. Brett Robertson (Pete/Jimmy/Phil) is a senior and is thrilled to be involved in “Almost, Maine”. Brett’s previous productions at Carthage include LYSISTRATA, GENERAL OF HOT DESIRE, FAR AWAY, DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE, the ACTF presentation of ONE DAY IN THE SEASON OF RAIN, and THE RAILSPLITTER. Brett would like to thank his friends and family for their undying support.
Neil Scharnick (Director) is an Assisstant Professor of Theatre. He directs annually for Carthage, having most recently directed DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE and ONE DAY IN THE SEASON OF RAIN, a regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival selection. Scharnick teaches Play Reading and Analysis and theatre history courses, in addition to using the Ensemble and Experimental Acting class to incite riots. He is an active member of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and is a Ph.D. candidate at UW-Madison. Neil thanks Erin and Ollie for their patience and love. Simon Skluzacek (Sound Designer) is a senior at Carthage College and is majoring in Physics and Theatre. He is excited for the opportunity to sound design again at Carthage. Some of his previous sound design experiences include BILOXI BLUES and FIGHTING WORDS. He would like to thank everyone who helped during the discovery process of working on the show. Caitlin Zant (Sandrine/Gayle/Rhonda) ALMOST, MAINE is Caitlin’s seventh production at Carthage College. She has performed in main stage productions including DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE and ROOM SERVICE and the studio theater production of RABBIT HOLE. She was also props designer for the production of THE RAILSPLITTER. In addition to being involved in theater at Carthage, Caitlin is a History major and in the Honors Program. Footlights new staff photographer
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The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival™ XLIII The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Honorable Stuart Bernstein and Wilma E. Bernstein; the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund; and the National Committee for the Performing Arts. This production is entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The aims of this national theater education program are to identify and promote quality in collegelevel theater production. To this end, each production entered is eligible for a response by a regional KCACTF representative, and selected students and faculty are invited to participate in KCACTF programs involving scholarships, internships, grants and awards for actors, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, designers, stage managers and critics at both the regional and national levels. Productions entered on the Participating level are eligible for inclusion at the KCACTF regional festival and can also be considered for invitation to the KCACTF national festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC in the spring of 2011. Last year more than 1,300 productions were entered in the KCACTF involving more than 200,000 students nationwide. By entering this production, our theater department is sharing in the KCACTF goals to recognize, reward, and celebrate the exemplary work produced in college and university theaters across the nation.
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