Almost, Maine

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

Consider the role of theater in exploring various emotions. In particular, how are live theatrical performances able to communicate strong emotions such as Love, Disconnection, and Guilt/Regret as compared to other forms of creative expression?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question provides an opportunity to introduce the play’s overarching themes. Western theater is believed to have originated in Ancient Greece, where playwrights explored emotions such as Love and Guilt/Regret through dramatized performances. Over time, theater expanded and evolved to reach a greater number of people, while still focusing on creating emotional connections with audiences. Many playwrights focus on these themes since they are fundamental to the human experience and allow for audiences to connect easily to the given circumstances and conflicts in the play; seeing an actor’s live, emotional, intimate performance may impact an audience member in a way that is different from watching a recording. These and similar resources will provide additional context on the topic.

• “What Is Method Acting” from the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute helps to explain one training method many actors utilize to convey realistic, emotional portrayals.
• The New Yorker offers an analysis of the merits and challenges of method acting in “How the Method Made Acting Modern.” (Teacher-appropriate; may be student-facing for some levels and classes)
• Playwright Cariani shares “The Importance of Theatre Education” in Playbill.

Short Activity

There are many elements to producing a successful live theatrical production, including directing, casting, script analysis, set design, lighting, costumes, and publicity. Working in small groups, select one major theatrical production of the 20th or 21st century to research and share with the class.

• Provide a summary and representative video and/or photos.
• Highlight the choices that the directors and producers made in terms of casting, set design, and other production components. Overall, what elements made this particular production a success?
• Does this production touch upon the themes of Love, Disconnection, and/or Guilt/Regret? If so, how?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Activity serves as an opportunity for students to explore notable theatrical performances by examining the elements of a successful production. As a playwright, Cariani guides directors with suggestions and information; in this vein, he includes detailed descriptions of the set, costumes, and physical characteristics of the characters in order to ensure a certain amount of uniformity of the play’s delivery as well as success in delivering his central themes. While playwrights can offer this guidance through stage directions and other notes, all directors have an extensive decision-making impact in play production that involves the physical space available, potential audience size, budget, and a host of other factors. These or similar resources might be used in researching production elements and choosing a production to analyze.

• The Louisiana Library Network shares a detailed overview in “An Introduction to the Theater and Its Elements.”
• Playbill lists “The Top 10 Highest-Grossing Broadway Shows of All Time”; Chicago Public Library shares London’s Royal National Theatre’s list of “The Most Significant Plays of the 20th Century.”

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Consider the meaning of Love. How would you define this word? What are the different forms of love? How can the presence of love affect one’s life? Provide examples from literature, TV, history, or your own experiences.

Teaching Suggestion: This Personal Connection Prompt invites students to consider the central theme of the play through their own ideas and observations. In Cariani’s play, Love is the central theme that unites the experiences of the couples in Almost, Maine; however, as the scenes demonstrate, each character’s understanding of and reaction to love differs. For example, some couples are falling in love, while others are falling out of it. Cariani makes it clear that, despite the particularities, love is a common emotion that binds humanity together.

• Merriam-Webster defines “Love.”

Differentiation Suggestion: For a more nuanced discussion on the meaning of Love, the following question may replace the above prompt: In the English language, only one term is used to describe romantic, platonic, and familial love; however, other languages have different words for each specific situation and emotion. How does language affect our overall understanding of words such as “love”? Select a language that uses multiple words to define “love” and analyze the variations of these understandings.