Almost, Maine

The play opens with a Prologue, and then there is both an Interlogue and an Epilogue containing the same two characters, Ginette and Pete, the only characters to reappear onstage multiple times. Why do you think Cariani chooses to continue this particular narrative through the play? How does this series of shortened scenes communicate with the scenes that surround them?

Throughout Almost, Maine, the author gives a number of options, most notably in the staging of the Prologue, Interlogue, and Epilogue, where they are explicit, but also throughout the other scenes, using words like “perhaps” and “maybe” in the stage directions. What effect do you see this having on the meaning of the play? Compare and contrast the effects of different options. How does this relative freedom of choice align or not align with the major themes of the play? 

One of the major choices Cariani provides for people who wish to stage Almost, Maine is whether to use the Male or the Female version of Scene Five, “They Fell,” which opens Act Two. While much of the two versions of the scene is kept the same, there are significant differences between the two versions. Compare and contrast the two: what does reading these two scenes side by side suggest about gender roles? Based on Cariani’s descriptions of the people of Northern Maine, why do you think he represents these gendered differences in this manner? 

There are several instances in Almost, Maine that deviate from strict realism, bordering on magical realism or absurdism. Why do you think Cariani chose to include these unrealistic elements? What effects do they have on the reader/audience, and how does that reinforce his themes and subject matter? Be sure to include and explicate several examples from the text.

Setting plays an important role in Almost, Maine, as Cariani discusses several times in the “Playwright’s Notes” section of the front matter. Using quotes from this section as well as from several scenes, discuss the impact of setting on the characters and plots presented. How would these characters and their actions be different if transplanted to a different locale?

Choose one scene from the play and make an argument for why it is the most important scene in the play. This can be in relation to a particular theme you felt was central or a character (or set of characters) that create the most impactful moments or go through the most significant changes. Be sure to provide evidence from the text that supports your claim.  

Choose two male characters or two female characters from different scenes and compare and contrast them: How are there motivations similar and different? How do they each approach the interaction of their scene? How do these similarities and differences help illuminate or complicate the themes of the play?

One of the important elements of Almost, Maine that remains tangential to the experience of reading the play, rather than seeing it performed, is the way the scenes transition, one to the next. Analyze the effects of one or two of these transitions, keeping in mind the stage directions, and the “Playwright’s Notes” from the front matter. How do the two scenes complement each other? What contrasts are present? How might the physical act of altering wardrobe or set design affect meaning?