Take a Trip to Almost, Maine

If you didn’t have the chance to catch Washington Street Players’ latest performance in April—don’t worry! You can still see Almost Maine, a collection of short plays written by Brockton native John Cariani, on May 2nd, 3rd and 4th at Holliston Town Hall at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are $18 for adults; $15 for students and seniors, and they can be purchased at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4214080, or are $20 and $17 at the door.
Directed by Dawn Anderson, of Uxbridge and produced by Julie Murphy, of Holliston, this presentation boasts a variety of players in its cast, among them, Karen Dinehart, who chose the play this time around, who plays “Hope” in Story of Hope, and “Gayle” in Getting it Back. Dinehart says, “This town of Almost, Maine is a magical place where people speak honestly and from their hearts. Others in the cast include: Cindy Bell, Melanie Blodget-O’Toole, Nate Callahan, Randy Divinski, Alex Langham, Emily Leahy, Jim Porter, Lynda Slocomb, and Tiffany Santiago.
Director Dawn Anderson describes the characters as “ordinary, blue collar people” in the “very northern reaches of Maine.” Says Anderson of the characters, “They do not have ‘down east’ accents. Things in ‘Almost’ can be very literal - like a broken heart carried in a travel bag or love being a physical thing that is kept in a bag or box. The characters may at first think it’s strange, but they roll with it.”
Vignettes include:
Her Heart – the story of “East,” a repairman and “Glory,” a hiker
Sad and Glad – which features “Jimmy,” a heating and cooling guy, “Sandrine,” his ex-girlfriend, Waitress
This Hurts – featuring “Marvalyn,” a woman who is very good at protecting herself, and “Steve,” an open, kind fellow whose brother protects him
Getting it Back – featuring “Gayle” and “Lendall,” longtime girlfriend and boyfriend
They Fell – with characters Deena and Shelly, two “country girls”
Where it Went – Phil, a working man, and his hard-working wife, Marci
Story of Hope – with “Hope,” who has traveled the world, and “a Man,” who has not
Seeing the Thing – the story of “Rhonda,” a tough woman, and “Dave,” the not-so-tough man who loves her
“I like the play, because it gives an opportunity for some new actors, new to the Washington Street Players, to be featured in individual scenes as opposed to one star of the entire play,” says Murphy, who explains that the group presents a group of vignettes every few years, the last being Dinner Conversations. “They were different, in that Almost, Maine is written by the same playwright.” In fall of 2017, the Washington Street Players presented Short and Sweet, a series of shorts by different playwrights, and 10 Minutes at a Time in the spring of 2013.
You can learn more about the actors playing in this spring’s production by finding “Washington Street Players” on Facebook. Look for photos and actor biographies, as well as information on the people who make the show happen backstage. You can also find information at http://washingtonstreetplayers.com/.