Murray State Theatre Program Presents Almost, Maine

MURRAY, Ky. – The Murray State University Department of Global Languages and Theatre Arts is pleased to present Almost, Maine on Wednesday – Saturday evenings, Feb. 22 – 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Wilson Studio Theatre, third floor of Wilson Hall, located on Murray State’s campus. General admission tickets are $10.00 per person. Murray State students are admitted free with their student ID.

Almost, Maine is a play by John Cariani, a Tony Award nominated actor and an accomplished playwright. As an actor, Cariani is best known for his role on NBC's Law & Order as Forensics Tech Beck. On stage, he is best known for his work on Broadway. He made his Broadway debut in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof and received an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Tony Award nomination for his portrayal of Motel the Tailor. 

Almost, Maine premiered at Portland Stage Company in 2004 and became the most successful play in the company's history. It opened Off-Broadway in 2006 and has since become one of the most popular plays in the United States, with nearly 5,000 productions to date. It has also received over 20 international productions and has been translated into over a dozen languages.

In the play, the residents of the town of Almost, Maine – a place that’s so far north, it’s almost not in the United States – experience the magical energy of the aurora borealis as they fall in and out of love in unexpected and hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend — almost — in this delightful midwinter night’s dream.

“I love how real the show is,” said Danny Preklas, a cast member and freshman theatre major from Paducah, Kentucky. “Despite the strange events that go on in the town of Almost, the characters all feel so real, and human. I think the audience will really appreciate that.”

Some cast members play multiple roles in the show, which Caroline Winnenberg, a senior creative writing major and theatre minor from Louisville, Kentucky, says is challenging but rewarding. 

"I've had a blast exploring all the different characters I get to play,” said Winnenberg. “I'm especially proud to be portraying a deaf character as a deaf actor."

“I am very excited about this play considering I have not really done a show like this before,” said Olivia Beach, a junior theatre major from Louisville, Kentucky. “It is hilarious, it is romantic, and truly just a wonderful, heartwarming show. I think many people will resonate with the different messages it offers, and I cannot wait for it to open!”

The cast also includes Abigail Ankrom, a senior theatre major from Troy, Illinois, and Billy Hobson, a sophomore theatre major from Memphis, Tennessee. The production is directed by Lissa Graham, professor of theatre arts at Murray State.

For more information please contact 270-809-4421. To learn more about Murray State’s theatre arts program please visit murraystate.edu/theatre.