UISPAC Audition Information
Audition Notice
Almost, Maine
Welcome to Almost, Maine. A town so far north it’s almost in Canada. Well, almost. One cold, clear Friday night in the middle of winter, while the northern lights hover in the sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in the strangest ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. Love is lost, found, and confounded. And life for the people of Almost, Maine will never be the same. “Almost, Maine”: It’s love. But not quite.
Auditions for Almost, Maine will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20, and Thursday, Nov. 21, at the UIS Performing Arts Center. Wednesday’s auditions will be held in room PAC 153, while Thursday’s auditions will be in room PAC 160. Auditions will be in the form of readings from the script; you don’t need to prepare a monologue. To request a copy of Almost, Maine, send an email to SteveSykes.OSOV@gmail.com. Performances will be March 13-14, 2025 (7 p.m.), and March 15-16, 2025 (2 p.m.) at the UIS Studio Theatre. To register for auditions, please complete this audition form.
Almost, Maine is an ensemble piece with 19 characters who can be portrayed by as few as four actors or as many as 19. The number of actors will depend on the number of auditionees as well as their availability. This is because the play comprises a series of stand-alone scenes which, together, tell the story of Almost’s citizens. This structure should make for an easy, compartmentalized rehearsal schedule, as the full cast will not be needed until relatively late in the proceedings. Rehearsals will begin in January 2025.
About Our Stage/Our Voices
Our Stage / Our Voices (OS/OV) exists to provide opportunities for performing artists who are members of historically underrepresented communities to address the issues of inequality in the regional performing arts with the goal of achieving diversity and inclusion. The 2024-25 season is designed to elevate the voices of performers with visible and invisible disabilities. That said, “Almost, Maine” will feature a blended cast. This means both disabled and non-disabled actors are invited to audition. Keep in mind, however, that in support of the OS/OV mission, our hope is that at least half of the cast will have disabilities.
I hope to see you at auditions for this charming bit of theater. If you have any questions, email me at SteveSykes.OSOV@gmail.com.
Steve Sykes
Director, “Almost, Maine”
Our Stage / Our Voices 2024-2025 Artist-in-Residence
Almost, Maine Scenes and Characters
The actors in Almost, Maine must be versatile storytellers with an ensemble spirit. For roles in Almost, Maine, the UIS Performing Arts Center encourages auditionees of all genders, races, and abilities. The set design will be able to accommodate actors with mobility impairments.
PROLOGUE
Pete, male-presenting, dating Ginette. (Also appears in INTERLOGUE and EPILOGUE)
Ginette, female-presenting, dating Pete. (Also appears in EPILOGUE)
HER HEART
East, male-presenting, a repairman.
Glory, female-presenting, a hiker.
SAD AND GLAD
Jimmy, male-presenting, a heating and cooling guy.
Sandrine, female-presenting, Jimmy’s ex-girlfriend, a waitress.
Waitress/Villian, female-presenting, a salty waitress.
THIS HURTS
Woman/Marvalyn, a woman very good at protecting herself.
Man/Steve, an open, kind fellow whose brother protects him.
GETTING IT BACK
Gayle, female-presenting, longtime girlfriend of Lendall.
Lendall, male-presenting, longtime boyfriend of Gayle.
INTERLOGUE
THEY FELL
Randy, Chad’s pal, a “country boy.” OR Deena, Shelley’s pal, a “country girl”
Chad, Randy’s pal, a “country boy.” OR Shelley, Deena’s pal, a “country girl”
*This scene features two characters of the same sex discovering they have feelings for one another. Whether it is two men or two women will depend on how auditions go.
WHERE IT WENT
Phil, male-presenting, Marci’s husband, a working man.
Marci, female-presenting, Phil’s wife, a hard-working woman.
STORY OF HOPE
Hope, female-presenting, has traveled the world.
Daniel, male-presenting, has not traveled the world. He should be either short or thin (or both).
Suzette (voice offstage)
SEEING THE THING
Rhonda, a tough woman.
Dave, not-so-tough man who loves Rhonda.
*The two characters in this scene have just returned from snowmobiling and due to the storytelling, likely will not be able to be played by actors with mobility impairments.
EPILOGUE
All auditionees for Almost, Maine must be at least 18 years of age and eligible to work in the United States. All actors participating in the production will be compensated with a stipend.