The World of the Play: Almost, Maine

The World of the Play: Almost, Maine

Almost, Maine is a fictional play written by John Cariani. John Cariani is a playwright and an actor. Cariani was born in Brockton, Massachusetts on July 23, 1969. After graduating from high school and graduating from Amherst College, he moved to New York City at 27 to pursue his dreams to be on Broadway. While living in NYC and struggling to get into shows he auditioned for, he decided to write his own play. Cariani makes this play to show not to take love for granted, love comes with magic and wonders that are sometimes left unnoticed.

The stories take place in Almost, maine which… well doesn’t actually exist. They all take place at nine at night in the middle of a cold winter. This time is significant and it’s always in the script that the characters talk about one another even though they aren’t in their scene. Cariani is currently living in Maine. The fact that all the scenes are occuring at the same time puts restrictions to character interactions but also adds another dimension to the story line. Rather than having the story rely on a few main characters, all of the characters are equal in terms of stage time and amount of lines, the only acception is the waitress in the scene with Sandrine. The characters put off the vibe that they need something, whether its a yard to sleep on, love they gave, or even their shoe… its a common trend to need something. And the other characters need something as well, a goal and an obstacle. Conflict. Every single scene has a conflict in the matters of love. The play is about taking the risk of falling in love which comes with its own consequences. It is about the complications in fulfilling the possibility of falling in love. The play illustrates the enthusiasm and urge of the characters in taking a chance in love and how they react to their corresponding consequences, the cards they get dealt. All of the character have a romantic

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