Kicking off the 2023-2024 school year, the Green Hope High School Theatre Company presented its annual fall production with “Almost, Maine” by John Cariani, from Oct. 12 to Oct. 14. Set in the fictional town of Almost, Maine, the romantic comedy follows the stories of nine respective couples navigating love, heartbreak and the complexities of relationships.
At the start of the school year, the GHHS Theatre Company began auditions and interviews for the cast and crew. Mr. Peter Comperatore, the director of this show, stated, “Auditions were hard. There were a lot of very talented students who came to auditions really prepared, so it was really tough to make decisions. But we have a very talented and committed cast that put together a great product.”
With just a little over a month to compose a show, Ria Rohilla (‘24), the technical director and set designer for this show described the month; “This year was the quickest turnaround we’ve had as a theatre company with a little over five weeks to create the piece. It was intimidating at first since we started from scratch,” explained Rohilla. Similarly, from the perspective of an actor, Ipsi Vasipalli (‘25), who played Hope in the show, voiced, “We’ve never had to prepare a show with such little time. This was very daunting at first.”
In those five weeks of production, the crew and cast worked extensively to emulate nine love stories set in Maine. Throughout those weeks, the crew and cast of “Almost, Maine” experienced both defeats and victories while putting together the show. Alastor Mixon (‘24), the head of the costumes department, expressed some of these challenges. “The most fun part about this show to me was being able to work with a clothing style we don’t usually do. Winter isn’t a season we commonly work with, and we had to accommodate for how hot it is on stage. It was fun figuring out creative ways of making it seem like actors are dressed for winter while keeping them cool.”
AnnaLee Nicholas (‘24), whose role was in set crew, experienced similar hurdles. “The process of putting a show together is definitely stressful but overall fun. For set, it is a lot of math, measuring and building. We get to use a lot of power tools which help a lot, but we have to be precise. One of the struggles we encountered was finding all of the correct dimensions, especially for the arch. Getting the arch to be sturdy enough to be free-standing was definitely a challenge,” stated Nicholas.
Although many struggles were encountered, the cast and crew still bonded and created a nice experience. “The people are definitely what makes this show so fun. Everybody gets along great and we have a great time,” exclaimed Nicholas. Sarah George (‘26), who played Phil in the show, added “The most enjoyable part about putting on this show for me has been getting to know people! I had the chance to meet so many wonderful individuals, so I am really glad I decided to give the show a try. In terms of the actual performance, the most fun I’ve had is the process of developing my character. It’s been something special to see my guy come to life and especially nice to see the entire show take shape.”
Amid the time constraints and design mishaps, the GHHS Theatre Company still delivered a show that audiences, such as Shreya Ravi (‘24), who saw the show on closing night, loved. “I came to see the show to support all the actors and tech people, as well as to gain service hours for ushering,” stated Ravi.
Praising the comedic lines and the cozy set depicting Maine, Ravi expressed “I thought that the show was really really good; the set was gorgeous, and the actors did a really good job. I liked the last scene of the show the most because it was really funny, and I also liked how every scene had its own story. From the show, I took away the idea that some love stories don’t end as expected but it can still be really entertaining to watch.”
Damla Ayrilmaz (‘25), who saw the show on opening night, expressed similar opinions. “I came to see the show to support my friend. For us, it’s a tradition to go to the fall shows. I thought the show was very interesting to watch. It was super cute and the different plots kept me engaged throughout the show.”
As a strong start to the year, the GHHS Theatre Company ends its first show, “Almost, Maine,” with satisfaction, joy and hope.
