The fall play at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) this year was “Almost, Maine,” produced entirely by a student team — the first student-led production in years — with supervision from theater teacher Brooke Ditchfield and Performing Arts Center (PAC) Director Charlie Esposito. Sophomores Gabby Grace Cuadros-Preston and Bristol Roten were co-directors who, with the help of the student ensemble, took responsibility for costumes, music, technical mechanics, and scene work.
The play follows a series of love stories of all types between people in a small town of unclaimed territory that is “almost” in Maine.
“I’m carrying you through this moment with love,” Bristol said, sharing her interpretation of a major theme of the play. “You can see all the different versions of [characters carrying each other]. It’s cheesy, but it’s cute.”
The production was an opportunity for students to gain firsthand experience in theater production, and overcome the challenges that come with it.
For the first 45 minutes of opening night, the fire alarms went off. Everyone evacuated the PAC, and was welcomed by rain. Ms. Ditchfield said, “The fire alarms were going off, and what was so great is we only lost like two audience members. Everybody else stayed, and they were here for it. It was great.”
Back in the auditorium after the rainstorm, a shoe dropped from the sky in chaotic confusion, but the response from the audience was laughter. “You know, that’s kind of the magic of live theater — you don’t really have control over what’s going to happen,” said Ms. Ditchfield.
Ms. Ditchfield introduced the play to Gabby in her “Theater II” class, and the idea to produce a full-length version appealed to Gabby. “I realized that our cast number is pretty much perfect for this show. So I thought, ‘Why not give it a try?’” Gabby said.
The majority of the actors had been working on the show since last school year. The extended time with the play allowed actors to form even deeper connections.
Ms. Ditchfield explained her role in the rehearsal process. “They kind of fell in love with the script. And then it just happened from there. They did everything,” she said.
It was freshman Violet Meyer’s first time being a part of an MVRHS theater event, but she worked closely with Mr. Esposito and stepped confidently into her role on the lighting crew. “It was really fun seeing everybody grow, even within the past couple of days,” Violet said.
“Young people have a lot to say; they’re feeling everything. They’re really smart, and if we let them speak more, and if we let them lead a little more, and if we listened to them a little closer, I feel like we would maybe be in better shape then we find ourselves in some of the time, because this was just all them,” said Ms. Ditchfield. “Look what can happen. Just give them a room, some time, and access to an old, dusty costume collection.”
