The Georgetown International Academy (GIA) will today stage Almost, Maine at the Theatre Guild in Georgetown.
Almost, Maine is an anthology play based on a series of love stories, written by John Cariani, which explore the relationships between couples.
“Some of them are sad and some of them are happy, but there is no doubt that this diversity ensures that there will at least be one scene that each member of the audience will be able to relate to,” the director, Subraj Singh, told Stabroek News in an interview. “There will be at least one couple that reminds each audience member of their own relationship or some relationship that they might have had in the past.”
The theatrical production is a diversion from the school’s annual production of fairytale-based plays and targets a much more mature audience. The play consists of a cast made up entirely of students from the school’s Drama Class and Performing Arts Club and presents new challenges to cast members. The complexity of the play lies in each performer’s ability to clearly express the emotions of their character. Members of the cast, Singh said, have taken part in productions staged by the school in previous years.
“The cast is made up entirely of students from GIA. They have been in numerous theatrical productions over the years, including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, The Wizard of Oz, etc,” he added.
Touching on the setting of the play, he disclosed that the play is set in a snowy fictional town of Almost in Maine, USA. However, despite this, he is sure that the Guyanese audience will be able to relate. “Every person, regardless of their nationality or culture, understands humour and the ups and downs that come with love,” Singh pointed out.
The play has not been adapted to fit Guyanese culture and because of this the production team has faced some difficulties, Singh said. He noted that their major difficulty in the production was being able to make snow for outdoor scenes. He however assured that a way was found to make it happen.
“…Aside from that, everything else has been relatively easy, and we are so excited to show the audience what we have accomplished,” the director stated.
Singh said he was happy to take on this play since it allows him to step out of his comfort zone.
“I have been actively working as a playwright and director since [2015]. I’m mostly known for my postcolonial tragedies, Laugh of the Marble Queen and Masque – and that is one reason why I wanted to direct this production. I wanted to do something different, a play that wasn’t so dark and gloomy, but one that could be uplifting and joyful,” he related.
The school put on its first show in 2012, and has done so annually since, always leaving a satisfied and entertained audience. This is the first time however, they are staging a second production in one year.
The play starts at 7 pm. There will be an opening cabaret performance done by GIA’s Performing Arts Club, followed by the high school students’ performance of Almost, Maine. Tickets cost $2,000 and can be picked up from the GIA in Prashad Nagar.a
