Wow! Just Wow! Chelsea Theatre Guild Stuns with  “Almost, Maine”

The Theatre Guild at Chelsea High School closed out their 2025-26 season with the John Cariani play “Almost, Maine”, at the Washington Street Education Center Theatre. The play debuted Off-Broadway in January 2006 at the Daryl Roth Theatre. It closed one month later. It has since become one of the most produced plays by high schools in America.

Joshua Gregory & Tess Mathews. Photo by Lad Strayer.

Almost, Maine provides a combination of off-beat comedy, a touch of tragedy and an honest look at people falling in and out of love. The story remains tremendously relevant today and Chelsea’s Theatre Guild provided audiences with an emotional punch. It provides a series of vignettes with themes that are all too familiar. Given the cast’s young age, they delivered line like this “I have a husband and two kids but why am I so lonely?” with such authenticity and emotion. The question is, where did that emotion come from?

Connor Dennis & Zosia Bendena. Photo by Lad Strayer.

Adam Holton & Emma Woodard. Photo by Lad Strayer.

Playwright Cariani provides a glimpse of many young men today, a generation that can be isolated, emotionally vacant while playing video games in the basement. Relationships are frequently online. In a series of vignettes, Almost, Maine shows couples trying to connect, awkwardly and with a lack of intention. Most often, these attempts end in disappointment.

Noah Seymour & Will Roebuck. Photo by Lad Strayer.

Set in the mythical unincorporated town that came to be known as Almost, Maine. The town’s biggest attraction is the northern lights. Ginnette, portrayed by senior Emma Woodard camps on Pete’s lawn (played by senior Adam Holton) wanting to view  the northern lights. Ginnette reveals that she desires to say goodbye to her husband, who was killed “on Tuesday” after being hit by a bus. Carrying a paper bag, she announced it contained her broken heart. After revealing she had a heart transplant, she confesses to being responsible for her husband’s death. She experiences confused emotions when Pete says he loves her after just meeting. Suddenly, loving again seems possible.

Northern Lights displayed on auditorium ceiling. Photo by Lad Strayer.

Woodard returns in Act II as a different character. She travels 163 miles to answer a question. Finding a house in the woods, she pours her heart out to a stranger. She was looking for Daniel (played by Will Roebuck), her old boyfriend. After pouring out her heart, she realizes she has found him. Hearing a voice from inside the house, she realizes he has found someone new. He leaves her by saying “I hope you find your place.”  As the lights fade to black, she is ready to answer and, through tears, shouts – YES. It was a heart-breaking scene.

Macie McDermott & Emma Woodard. Photo by Lad Strayer.

Vignettes revealed failed attempts at love and human connection. The young actors demonstrated a maturity and emotional awareness as couples part disappointed. Director Rachael Slupe said, “we had individual sessions with every actor to assist in character development, in understanding the emotions and motivations of the person they were playing.” “For some,” Slupe continued, “it represented their lived experiences. For others, it was helping them search within themselves to get in touch with that emotion.”

The Chelsea Theatre Guild is student run, with students taking charge of all technical aspects of the production. “We have an adult in the scene shop, ensuring no kid cuts off their finger with the power saw, but other than that, it is the students,” Slupe said. Set, students developed costume and lighting design.

After the cast took their bows, junior Zosia Bendena acknowledged the seniors who were participating in their final show with the guild. The seniors included Adam Holton (Peter), Charlotte Doma (Props/Scenery), Elizabeth “Libby” Timberlake (Scenic Carpenter), Emma Woodard (Ginnette & Hope), Everett Critchfield (Assistant Stage Manager), Joshua Gregory (East, Steve, HMU Technician), Marissa Kay (Costume Technician)), Steve Cattell (Props Technician) and Tess Matthews (Glory, Costume Technician).

In Slupe’s director notes, she wrote, “Sometimes, we must live without a pretense of edginess and survive off the natural sweetness of innocent interactions and human decency, in her purest form, May we continue to experience new loves, come to terms with our mistakes and keep the magic of life.”

The Chelsea Theatre Guild gets two big thumbs up for Almost, Maine.