SpeakEasy to Present Boston Premiere of “Charming Midwinter Night’s Dream”
January 4, 2007

(BOSTON) – From February 16 to March 10, 2007, SpeakEasy Stage will proudly present the Boston-area premiere of the acclaimed romantic comedy, ALMOST, MAINE in the Nancy and Edward Roberts Studio Theatre in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End.

Written by Presque Isle, Maine native and Tony-nominated performer John Cariani (Motel, Fiddler on the Roof, 2004 Revival), this delightful and charming play takes a magical look at relationships by focusing on a group of men and women living in a small isolated town in northern-most part of the Pine Tree State.

Through a series of comic vignettes all set on the same, cold clear Friday night, Cariani explores the mysteries of the human heart by introducing his audience to a group of lovable eccentrics who, on this particular mid-winter’s eve, are falling in and out of love at an alarming rate.

Developed in association with the Cape Cod Theater Project, ALMOST, MAINE had its World Premiere at the Portland (ME) Stage Company in 2004, where it went on to become the most successful show in that theater’s history.

The play transferred to off-Broadway last January, where it was hailed as “a charmer” and “the perfect date play.”

SpeakEasy Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault will direct the Boston Premiere production, with a cast that includes Barlow Adamson, Elaine Theodore, Kevin Kalinsky and Maureen Keiller. Ms. Keiller most recently shined as back-stabbing society matron Sylvia Fowler in the SpeakEasy Stage Company revival of THE WOMEN, directed by Scott Edmiston.

For tickets to or more information about ALMOST, MAINE, the public can call the Boston Theatre Scene Box-Office at 617-933-8600 or go online to www.SpeakEasyStage.com.

ALMOST, MAINE is the first play from John Cariani, who is best known for his work as an actor both on stage (Fiddler on the Roof, Broadway Revival; Modern Orthodox, replacing Jason Biggs; Two Gentlemen of Verona, Public Theatre) and on television (forensics technician Beck on Law & Order). Mr. Cariani discovered his love of plays while attending Amherst College, and then did a three-year stint at Stage West in Springfield, MA as an acting intern before heading to New York City.

In an interview with BroadwayWorld.com, Cariani admitted he started writing not only to have a creative outlet during the downtime as an actor, but also because so many of the plays he was seeing were New York-centric.

In his essay entitled “On Writing ‘Almost, Maine,’ “ Cariani explained that he started writing plays because most of the shows he was seeing told “city-stories – stories about cosmopolitan ideas and ideals” rather than stories about people like the ones he grew up with -- rural people “who are just trying to get by – people who live and work in wide-open spaces.”

“I didn’t feel their stories were being told,” he wrote. “And I felt that they needed to be, because a person from a place where the sky is big, like Northern Maine, is going to have a markedly different perspective (literally!) from a person who is from a place where the sky is small, like New York City.”

“I hope that my plays,” he added, “will make room for some people and some stories that don’t have much of a place in contemporary dramatic literature. I hope that, by writing earnest and sincere plays about earnest and sincere people who get their breath taken away, who wonder about their place in the world, and who hope, that audiences will, in turn, gasp, wonder, and hope. Which is exactly what you do when you look up at the sky on a cold, clear winter night in northern Maine.”

Mr. Cariani’s second play “cul-de-sac” – had its world premiere with The Transport Group in New York City

He currently resides in Los Angeles.

The Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) is an urban cultural village, incubating and showcasing the performing and visual arts and artists of our time. Occupying a city block in Boston’s historic South End, the BCA provides a creative “home” for artists, a welcoming destination for audiences, and an arts connection for youth and community. For more information, visit www.bcaonline.org.

Press inquiries should be directed to SpeakEasy Marketing Director Jim Torres:
Office: 617-482-3279 Cell: 617-529-1670 Email: JimTorres@SpeakEasyStage.com

Calendar Listing Information
ALMOST, MAINE
By John Cariani

Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company, a resident theatre company at the Boston Center for the Arts, Paul Daigneault, Producing Artistic Director

Featuring:
Barlow Adamson, Kevin Kalinsky, Maureen Keiller, and Elaine Theodore

Directed by: Paul Daigneault

Production Stage Manager: Kevin Robert Fitzpatrick

Design Team: Audra Avery, Set; Dewey Dellay, Sound and Original Music; Seth Bodie, Costumes; Karen Perlow, Lighting

Performing at:
The Nancy and Edward Roberts Studio Theater
in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the
Boston Center for the Arts,
527 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End

Press Performance:
Saturday, February 17, 2006 - 8PM

Performance Schedule:
February 16- March 10, 2006
Wed., Thurs. at 7:30PM; Fri. at 8PM; Sat. at 4 & 8PM;
Sun. at 3PM
Added performance: Tuesday, March 6 at 7:30 PM

Ticket Prices:
Tue., Wed., Thurs., 7:30PM; Fri. 8PM --$42 / $37 seniors
Sat. 4 & 8PM; Sun. at 3PM -- $46 / $41 seniors

Student Rush:
$14 with valid college ID, at the box office only, one hour before curtain, subject to availability

Box Office:
617-933-8600; www.BostonTheatreScene.com

Press Contact Only:
Jim Torres – (617) 529-1670