ESU Student Theatre Organization Produces Romantic Comedy, November 19-22

One play, FIVE directors? That’s the challenge that Stage II, the student theatre organization at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, set for itself when it selected the full-length romantic comedy Almost, Maine by John Cariani for its November 19-22 production.

Set in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine, the comedy is a series of short vignettes that show the residents unexpectedly and hilariously falling into and out of love under the Northern Lights of a midwinter night.

“The directors got together and divided the scenes according to whether they were romantic, comedic, or dramatic,” said one director, John Lauri, a junior majoring in computer science from Long Pond, Pa. “Then we discussed it among ourselves to see who wanted to direct which scenes.”

Lauri began exploring his interest in theatre when he came to ESU by taking Introduction to Theatre and then Acting with Stephanie Daventry French, professor of theatre.  After writing a play for the 2014 Stage II One-Act Plays and appearing in two ESU productions, he decided to try directing.

In his scenes, Lauri has been working with the actors to explore the play’s characters. “This is a very character-driven piece, where each line is significant in understanding what everyone is really saying,” he said.

Freshman Kathleen French, a theatre major with concentrations in both acting and directing from Springtown, Pa., became one of production’s directors because she wanted to build on her experience.

“The students here know what’s going on with the production and have a high level of commitment to making everything work,” French said. “Some actors are double cast in scenes with different directors, but we’ve worked out all the scheduling conflicts.”

“While we are each rehearsing on our own,” added Travis Brewer, “we do meet frequently to share our observations—with five different directors, it’s even more important that we’re on the same page.”

After earning an associates degree in theatre from Northampton Community College and serving as the chair of a production company, Brewer, a junior from Nazareth, Pa., is pursuing a theatre major with a concentration in directing. “I’ve directed in classes,” he said, “so I jumped right into this project because I know how much fun directing can be.”

Director David Kunz, a transfer student from Queens, N.Y., came to Almost, Maine with professional directing experience with the Bold Choice Theatre Company. “I really wanted to be a director until I discovered sound design” he said.

Now a technical theatre major at ESU, Kunz became part of the project because he wants to be “well rounded” in theatre. “Working with a team to create one, cohesive production is new to me,” he said. “And so far it’s been a great experience.”

“Each director is different,” added Luis Feliciano, a junior from Philadelphia, Pa., with majors in both theatre and Spanish, who is also part of the directing collective. “We all understand each other and we’re feeding off each other by learning to break out of our comfort zones to bring something to life in a unique way.”

Stage II will present Almost, Maine November 19-21 at 7 p.m. and November 22 at 2:30 p.m. in the Dale Snow Theatre of ESU Fine and Performing Arts Center, Normal and Marguerite streets, East Stroudsburg. The play is recommended for ages 13 and above.

General admission for the production is $12; $10 for senior citizens, faculty and staff with ID; $7 for students with ID; and $5 for youth.

Advance purchase of tickets is highly recommended due to limited seating in the Dale Snow Theatre. Tickets may be purchased in advance online with a credit card at esu.edu\theatretickets.

Remaining seats will be available at the box office beginning one hour before the performance. Only cash and checks are accepted at the box office.

For box office reservations or more information about the production, please email esuarts@esu.edu or call 570-422-3483, x.4.

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