Auditions: Sunday, Nov. 2nd, 1-3 pm & Monday, Nov. 3rd 6pm-9pm
Where: St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 23 Main Street, Geneseo, NY
Who: Actors aged 16 to adult
Production dates: Friday, January 9 & Saturday, January 10* *matinee and evening performance.
Callbacks will only occur if needed. Actors will be contacted if this is necessary.
Rehearsals: Sunday afternoons/Weekday evenings based on actor availability, beginning Nov. 9.
Tech week: Jan. 4-10, 2026
****This production has a flexible and holiday-conscious rehearsal schedule.****
Directed by: Ingrid Alvarez Stage Manager: Katie Kemp
About Almost, Maine
A woman carries her heart, shattered into 19 pieces, in a small paper bag. A man shrinks to half his original size after losing hope in love. A couple holds the love they have shared in large red bags or compresses the essence into the size of a diamond.
These playful and surreal experiences are commonplace in the world of John Cariani’s Almost, Maine. The play is a romantic comedy comprising nine short plays that explore love and loss in a remote, mythical place called Almost, Maine. The play is bracketed by a discussion between Pete and Ginette, who are gradually revealing their love to each other. The Prologue concludes with the paradox that, given the world's roughly spherical shape, people who are as close as possible to one another in one direction are as far apart as possible in another direction. Thus, Ginette heads away from Pete on a journey around the world to bring her closer to him. Eight subsequent scenes focus on eight other couples, each overcoming a significant relationship obstacle. The vignettes follow a pattern: they introduce a problem or paradox, feature short bouts of vaguely surreal comedy, and end with a mostly happy resolution.
On this one deeply cold Midwinter Night, the citizens of Almost experience the profound, life-altering power of the human heart. Relationships end, begin, or change beyond recognition, as strangers become friends, friends become lovers, and lovers turn into strangers.
Propelled by the luminous energy of the aurora borealis and populated with characters who are humorous, plain-spoken, thoughtful, and deeply sincere, Almost, Maine is a series of loosely connected tales about love. Each story features a compelling couple and is marked by its relatable and honest portrayal of the complexities of romance, finding moments of genuine, heartfelt emotion in the quiet magic of an ordinary town.
Want to audition? Here’s what you need to know:
1. Attend auditions on either date. Please fill out an audition form found at geneseocommunityplayers.org and bring it with you. We will have some available each night. Auditions will consist of the short monologues provided, followed by reading from the script in pairs.
2. Please email us with any questions at geneseocommunityplayers@gmail.com
3. Are you coming to auditions? Please let us know at our Facebook event found on our Facebook page: Geneseo Community Players
What to Prepare:
1. One monologue from the provided selections linked below.
2. Completed Audition information form- be sure to list your conflicts.
Overview of the Characters
Prologue:
Pete: (20s Male) Dating Ginette. Youthful appearing male who uses his knowledge to explain the feelings he cannot quite express. (Also appears in the interlogue and epilogue)
Ginette: (20s Female) Dating Pete. A youthful female who is uncomfortable expressing her emotions to Pete, despite having been dating him for quite a while. (Also appears in the epilogue)
Scene 1: Her Heart
East: (Late 30s- 40s Male) Hardworking, introverted, homebody who lives a simple but meaningful life.
Glory: (30s Female) Adventurous, independent woman who is grappling with grief and the need to move on.
Scene 2: Sad and Glad
Jimmy: (20s Male) Just a small-town boy, took a midnight train going nowhere. Coming to terms with reality and adulthood.
Sandrine: (20s Female) Beautiful, former popular girl who enjoyed her small-town life, and is uncomfortable reminiscing.
Waitress: (Early 20s) Hardworking, comical, witty waitress
Scene 3: This Hurts
Marvalyn: (30s+ Female) Anxious woman who struggles with independence and has a caring, sentimental soul.
Steve: (Late 20s- 30s Male) Neurodivergent man who struggles with pain in all its forms and has difficulty forming deep attachments with reality.
Scene 4: Getting it Back
Gayle: (Late 20s- Early 30s female) Sentimental, romantic, and frustrated woman who longs to move forward in her love life.
Lendall: (Late 20s- 30s Male) Laid back, chill love of Gayle. Not very romantic, but caring and compassionate.
Interlogue: Pete
Scene 5: They Fell
(This scene may be cast as either two men or two women)
Randy & Chad / Deena & Shelly (20s-30s) Two long-term friends who are grappling with budding feelings of love for one another.
Scene 6: Where it Went
Marci: (40s Female) Hurt, frustrated mother and wife. Looking for more meaning and attention in her relationship and future.
Phil: (40s male) Hardworking, frustrated, and troubled father and husband. Phil is looking to succeed somewhere…anywhere.
Scene 7: Story of Hope
Hope: (20s-30s Female) World traveler, reminiscent romantic, independent woman with regrets.
Man/Daniel: (20s-30s Male) Not a world-traveler. A man who lives in Almost Maine.
Suzette: (voice offstage) may be any age but “sounds” 30s to 50s.
Scene 8: Seeing the Thing
Rhonda: (20s-30s Female) Introverted person with strict boundaries that are slowly softening.
Dave: (20s- 30s Male) Extroverted male with passionate actions and hopeful notions.
Epilogue: Pete and Ginette
