PORT TOWNSEND — Port Townsend High School students will stage author John Cariani’s “Almost, Maine” this weekend.
Performances are slated for 7 tonight and Saturday and Sunday nights as well as Nov. 16-17 in the high school auditorium at 1500 Van Ness St.
General admission tickets are $10. Students will be admitted for $5; tickets for children age 12 and younger will be $3.
Director Chris Pierson said that what brought him back to directing on the PTHS stage was Cariani’s comments in his prologue to his play: “The people of Almost, Maine are not cuddly and cute. They are hard-working ordinary people who are dignified, honest, and true.
“They’re not cynical. They’re not sarcastic and they’re not glib. But that does not mean they’re dumb. They’re very smart, but they just take time to wonder about things.”
Cariani’s honest treatment of his subject, his dialogue and his sense of humor all combine for a play that is true and fun at the same time, according to Pierson.
“It’s incredibly difficult to make honest art that is also wacky and fun, and this play and our Port Townsend High School actors are going to pull this off. They will teach us about ourselves, our community, and our relationship to the nation as a rural town,” he said.
The show presents eight couples at various stages of their relationships on a surreal Friday night in a small, unincorporated Maine town near the Canadian border.
A mixture of seniors — Keegan Nordstrom, Bodie Labrie, and Hannah Germeau along with, actor and trained tech, David Smith — perform in this work.
They are joined by a group of underclassmen in Gage Barry, Grace Wentzel, Mary Neville, Grace Taracka and Julia Neville.
The backstage crew is comprised of Autumn Winsheimer, Kayella Gardner and Roslyn Salmon.
For information, contact Pierson at 360-774-2700.
