Love comes to Fauquier High theater stage

Love is in the air this week at Fauquier High School, as the theater department prepares to open its winter play “Almost, Maine” on Friday.

The play, which director Kevin Mettinger describes as a “romantic comedy,” follows the interactions of nine couples on a modern winter evening in Almost, Maine, each in a different stage of their relationship.

“These are ordinary people,” Mettinger said. “I think the characters and the situations that are represented on stage will really resonate with the audience because it’s so real.”

The story is presented in two acts, each containing four vignette scenes, as well as a prologue, interlogue, and epilogue.

“There’s an element of magic to the entire show,” said Mettinger of the almost whimsical connection between characters and the town.

While some characters are just discovering love, others are letting go of it, but in every vignette, the outcome is somewhat ambiguous.

“It’s suggested that the resolution doesn’t happen until after the lights go down and you don’t know what happens,” he said.

In the scene “Her Heart,” a visitor named Glory has come to Almost to see the Northern lights because they are “really the torches that the recently departed carry with them so they can find their way to heaven.”

As she sits, encamped on the lawn of a stranger, Glory is the first to experience love when East, the owner of the house, discovers her mourning the death of the husband.

Clutched in her hand she carries the pieces of her broken heart, which East, a repairman, offers to fix for her.

“We chose the strongest actors, then chose which scenes they would fit in,” said Mettinger of his 19-member cast.

Mettinger first heard about the play from a former student’s aunt, who is also a theater director on Long Island.

“She sent it to me and I did-n’t read it for a year,” he said. “And then when I read it, I just fell in love with it.”

According to Mettinger, “Almost, Maine” has surpassed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to become the most-produced play in North American high schools.

While the play does include the profession of love between two males, Mettinger does not believe the scene is controversial.

“Chad goes into a monologue about his feelings and ultimately admits he wants to be with Randy,” he said. “It’s played in such a subtle way that it might be interpreted as one person indicating [greater] friendship.”

Mettinger’s friend and colleague Melanie Ankney, who has helped Mettinger with many productions, believes the scene is tastefully done and should be a non-issue, “even for people who are a little tense about such things.”

“I just see it as [another] relationship,” said assistant director Andrew Warzinski, 17, who also plays Randy. “Coming to terms with your sexuality is a large part of growing up, and I think that is relevant for students.”

Actors are excited about the play, which they describe as cute, realistic and relatable.

Because the scenes each feature just two performers, Mettinger feels it has offered a good lesson in acting.

“You’ve got to give to [your scene partner], they’ve got to give to you, and you’ve got to hold each other up to have a strong scene. Because of that, we have nine strong scenes in this play,” he said

According to Warzinski, those connections are “the spark that brings the play to life.”

Although failure and success are mixed together in the play, students believe the combination makes the story more genuine.

“Real life is happening, and that includes break-ups as well as happiness. But in the end, everyone makes the right decision for themselves,” said senior Libby Wilmore, who plays a waitress.

“A lot of people take love at face value and it doesn’t mean anything, but I think these relationships and characters prove that what comes easy doesn’t always last and what lasts does-n’t always come easy,” she said. “That’s the important idea that people need [to take away].”

“Almost, Maine” will run Jan. 13-15 and 20-21 at the Addison Lightfoot Auditorium. Tickets are $7.50 for adults and $5 for students of all ages and adults over 60.

For more information, visit Fauquier’s theater website at www.fhstheatre.org or contact Kevin Mettinger at 347-6100 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).