‘Almost Maine’ named
most produced high school play
in North America in 2010
PRESQUE ISLE — The Presque Isle man and Tony Award nominee who penned an off-Broadway production about the romantic happenings one cold night in northern Maine recently returned home and visited Northern Maine Community College, where he spent time with students and faculty.
John Cariani’s visit to NMCC came just as Dramatics Magazine released its top 10 list of the most performed plays in North American high schools in 2010. Cariani’s “Almost Maine,” depicting a mythical town in northern Maine, tops the list, edging out plays with longer-standing high school histories, including “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (ranked second) and “Alice in Wonderland” (ranked sixth).
Photo courtesy of Northern Maine Community College
“ALMOST MAINE” playwright John Cariani, seated, recently visited NMCC to speak with students and faculty. Cariani took a moment to sign a copy of the play, which has been named the top performed play in North American high schools in 2010, for the NMCC library. Photographed with Cariani are, from left: Kim Ferguson, librarian I; Gail Roy, assistant dean of learning resources; and Larry LaPlante, director of finance, who formerly worked with Cariani’s father at Maine Public Service Co.
While at NMCC, Cariani spoke with classes about his work, including the writing process, and took a moment to sign a printed copy of “Almost Maine” for the college library. He also posed for a READ poster that will be unveiled in the library later this semester.
The American Library Association established the READ campaign, a literacy program to encourage reading for enjoyment. For over 25 years, the ALA has sponsored the campaign that displays posters of notable Americans and celebrities who are photographed with their favorite book to lend support to the simple but powerful message: READ! The series is the most widely recognized promotion for literacy and libraries, and it is now possible for libraries to create their own posters using software developed for this purpose.
The Cariani READ poster will be hung in the library with others that include former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, Jerry “The Beaver” Mathers, and former NMCC Mitchell Peace Scholars.
In addition to penning “Almost Maine,” Cariani had a recurring role on the NBC television show “Law and Order” and made his Broadway debut in the 2004 revival of “Fiddler on the Roof.”
