Almost Maine - Theatre and Performance
- Submitted by: annemarieakare
- Views: 802
- Category: Arts
- Date Submitted: 11/06/2011 07:54 AM
- Pages: 5
- Report this Essay
Almost, Maine by John Cariani presents a whimsical approach to the delights and risks of romance centered on the lives of about twenty characters. The play takes place in the fictional town of Almost, Maine and is composed of two-character vignettes, each telling a different story. Although the scenes are unrelated, they all take place on the same night, at the same time, under the same sky. The theatre department at the College of Charleston did a fantastic job with their presentation of Almost, Maine. Using the playwright’s notes, the actors and directors pay close attention to the acting, set design, and light design to bring this production to life.
Cariani gives specific instructions to both the directors and the actors of his play. He focuses on making the individual characters realistic and natural. In his “Notes for Actors” he stresses the importance of the beats in the script, saying, “...Make sure they are full and electric. This play must never feel slow. There’s a buoyancy to the material...Find where the words don’t come so easy - where the quiet moments are” (75). Throughout the production, the actors consistently follow Cariani’s advice. Specifically in the prologue, one of the most crucial and powerful scenes, David Beckett and Meg Fannin-Buckner (Pete and Ginette) perform almost all of their scene in the pauses they take. In these pauses, their confusion, angst, and love appears, and the tone is set as Ginette begins her walk around the world. This pause, in fact, is not resolved until the end of the play. Along with these moments, Cariani challenges his actors to “...tell the stories. Don’t worry too much about being a chameleon. Don’t create caricatures. Allow the characters to come to life” (77). In the scenes “Where It Went,” “They Fell,” and “Seeing the Thing” the actors put these notes into action. Here the characters become three-dimensional. Whether there is sadness, emptiness, or complete joy and humor, each moment is...
Cariani gives specific instructions to both the directors and the actors of his play. He focuses on making the individual characters realistic and natural. In his “Notes for Actors” he stresses the importance of the beats in the script, saying, “...Make sure they are full and electric. This play must never feel slow. There’s a buoyancy to the material...Find where the words don’t come so easy - where the quiet moments are” (75). Throughout the production, the actors consistently follow Cariani’s advice. Specifically in the prologue, one of the most crucial and powerful scenes, David Beckett and Meg Fannin-Buckner (Pete and Ginette) perform almost all of their scene in the pauses they take. In these pauses, their confusion, angst, and love appears, and the tone is set as Ginette begins her walk around the world. This pause, in fact, is not resolved until the end of the play. Along with these moments, Cariani challenges his actors to “...tell the stories. Don’t worry too much about being a chameleon. Don’t create caricatures. Allow the characters to come to life” (77). In the scenes “Where It Went,” “They Fell,” and “Seeing the Thing” the actors put these notes into action. Here the characters become three-dimensional. Whether there is sadness, emptiness, or complete joy and humor, each moment is...