Lamar Lights Up The Stage With Almost, Maine

Under a sky full of swirling northern lights, Lamar’s Texan Theatre Company illuminates the stage with a play full of love, loss, and laughter. They stole everyone’s heart with their touching production, Almost, Maine. With full audiences erupting in giggles and heartfelt ‘awws’ each night, it’s safe to say that Almost, Maine was an absolute hit.

Almost, Maine is a whimsical and surreal dramatic comedy filled with a variety of parallel stories that all connect together. Each scene displays a different kind of metaphorical meaning that represents the hardships, but also the importance of true love. Lamar chose this production to demonstrate the depths of theatrical art and the creative challenges they endured to bring it to life.

From left: Jamie Cook and Kallie Vinson acting in the scene, “This Hurts.” (Photo: Dylan Boddie)

As everyone is starstruck by their outstanding performances, let’s take a step back and view the time and commitment that the actors, crew, and directors put into this. From memorizing lines and blocking scenes to adjusting lights and building sets, every detail of the play was crafted with care and collaboration. Everyone poured in countless hours of dedication, staying after school every day to sharpen their theatrical skills in preparation for opening day.

From left: Fabiana Dela and Yasir Muhammad acting in the scene “Seeing the Things.” (Photo: Dylan Boddie)

Lamar’s cast and crew have expressed their constant love for their show and how proud they are of what they have been able to accomplish. Head of crew, Andreas Hansen, gives us insight of what is going on behind the scenes. “We had to figure out how to make a very adaptive set and run it. This didn’t hold us back though, and the crew and I were able to work together and synchronize well.” One of the actors, Tristan Murphy says, “This was absolutely an amazing performance. Everything was so fun! I got to meet so many new and amazing people and we knocked it out of the park each night!”

From left: Keyland Moore and Shayla Haque acting in the scene, “Story of Hope.” (Photo: Dylan Boddie)

Lamar’s Theatre Company had an absolute blast, but it was the audience who truly brought the show to life. They never let us down with their constant applause and grins from ear to ear. The mother of Shayla Haque, a starring actor, Nisha Rathi, expresses her complete admiration for the show. “Almost, Maine was a fantastic journey through metaphorical love stories, some joyful and some sad. I had so much fun watching these young actors put their hearts and souls into their characters. You can see the show over and over again and never get bored!”

With bittersweet hearts as the show comes to a close, the cast and crew remain ecstatic that they got to present their hard work. Friendships sprouted and connections grew through this wonderful journey, and they can’t wait to present their next show, Legally Blonde, so stay tuned!