CHT Announces Auditions For “Almost, Maine”

Church Hill Theatre is pleased to announce auditions for Almost, Maine, a play by John Cariani, to be held at the Theatre on Saturday, August 6th from 10 am -1 pm, Monday, August 8th from 6-9 pm, and for one last bite at the apple on Wednesday, August 10th from 6-9 pm. The show is directed by Michael C. Whitehill and will run from Friday, November 4th through Sunday, November 20th.

This whimsical and imaginative tale by award-winning actor and playwright John Cariani begins on a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter. But all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, the residents of Almost find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend—Almost, in this delightful midwinter night’s dream.

This show can be cast with four actors, each playing four or five separate characters, or it may be cast with 19 actors each taking rehearsal time to plunge more deeply into the heart of one character each actor can thoroughly own on stage. The show traditionally calls for men and women in their twenties to mid thirties, but Whitehill notes that love and its complications are not lost on those much older actors and audiences, so he is eager to see moving performances of any age. The nature of this play, and the playwright’s challenge to allow the actors to live these roles with truth and innocence, make Whitehill lean toward the larger cast. He is interested in providing opportunities for both experienced actors, as well as community members with very little or no acting experience who may only be armed with the belief that this is something they always wanted to do but were, until now, too shy to try.

You may be (and probably are if you are thinking twice about this) just that actor-in-the-rough this play was made for and Whitehill may be just the director to draw a performance from you CHT audiences will never forget. CHT invites those of you seeking the experience of working behind the scenes as well. Technical theater involves dramaturgy, costuming, make-up, set design, and construction and decoration, lighting, sound, and stage handling during performance. Whitehill regards cast and crew as absolute equals in stage productions. Almost, Maine is peopled by hard work and imagination on stage and behind the scenes.

Please come and join CHT for the auditions: Saturday, August 6th from 10 am -1 pm, Monday, August 8th from 6-9 pm, and on Wednesday, August 10th from 6-9 pm