“Almost, Maine is a series of nine amiably absurdist vignettes about love, with a touch of good-natured magic realism…witty, romantic, unsentimental. A beautifully structured play, with nifty surprise endings (most but not all of them happy).” — The New York Times

“Sweet, poignant, and witty. Nearly perfect. Almost, Maine's charm is real. [It] packs wit, earns its laughs and, like love, surprises you.” — New York Daily News

“Mega-hit Almost, Maine lands somewhere between Norman Rockwell and Our Town. Unabashedly unhip. There is no pretense of an edge here—the show offers a sweetness and decency that’s become rare at the theater. At this point, it’s a welcome breath of fresh air.” — New York Post

Almost, Maine director's notes

In Almost, Maine, John Cariani writes about love in many of its forms and timelines. His playwright's

notes tell us this play is “about real people who are really, truly, honestly dealing with one of the

toughest things there is to deal with in life: love.”

The greater majority of plays throughout history show us something vastly different; ordinary people

dealing with extra-ordinary events: wars, betrayals, revenge, social upheaval. We thrill to watch the

antagonists and protagonists battle out their conflicts and cheer once the anticipated positive ending is

achieved.

However Almost, Maine is what I like to call a “slice of life” play. It features ordinary people dealing

with ordinary events. The slice of life play is about nothing other than aspects of what it means to be

human; and one of the larger of those aspects is love. No matter what your outlook on life in general is,

one thing is certain: everyone will in their lives be chasing, in, out or ending, love.

The slice of life play fills a certain niche. It doesn't seek to have us take sides. We relate as people to

what the people onstage are experiencing because that experience is real to us too.

For thousands of years, theater has sought to entertain us, educate us, comment on us, enrage us. Tonight,

for the brief time we're together, let's all give permission for this play to unite us in celebration of one

truly universal feeling – love.

Bios:

Steve Cooper, Director  is very happy to return to directing after the two plus years away. Its great to see live theater

returning. Steve has directed for several of the area's smaller companies, most recently Lend me a Tenor

with Woodinville Rep. Steve also works for many schools around the area teaching middle and high

school theater students about technical theater.

Cast Bios

Cheyenne Bilbrey: Cheyenne graduated with a BA in Theatre at the University of New Mexico,

where she played Polly in The Threepenny Opera and Nina in The Seagull. After her 2019

graduation, she moved to Seattle and was lucky to have been cast as Anastasia in The Last

Day of the Tsars before the world fell apart. She’s thrilled to rejoin theatre now with such a

sweet, loving show and this remarkable cast.

Karli Reinbold: Karli (She/Her) is so excited to be apart of this H.E.A.R.T production! She was

worked with this group through the pandemic doing many different Zoom shows and is so happy

to be able to perform live on stage with them! Along with working with H.E.A.R.T she has also

been seen at Red Curtain, the Phoenix, and Sound Theatre. Her favorite past roles include

Cecile “The Importance of Being Earnest” All About Eve” (Eve), and “Rabbit Hole” (Izzy). She

send a huge thank you to her friends and family who love and support her and hopes everyone

enjoys the show!

Denny Park: Denny Park is a UW Graduate and newcomer to the theatre scene. Almost,

Maine has given him the opportunity to expand his horizons to new depths and explore

undiscovered facets of his personality. His most recent project was with KAMP Music’s Gondoliers,

a Gilbert and Sullivan Opera. While he enjoyed singing in the opera, he’s excited to be doing a lot more

talking this time around. Denny is cast opposite his girlfriend Samantha in several scenes throughout the

show, and feels blessed to be able to experience the joy of the arts together. When not under the northern

lights of Almost, he can be found pursuing his fitness goals at the gym and making good memories with

Samantha and their cat, Egg. Denny would like to thank Steve and all his fellow cast members for their

hard work and dedication to bringing this show to life. He encourages anyone who has the opportunity, to

take risks and try something new - possibilities as vast as the Maine night sky.

Samantha Hogue: Samantha is a lifelong Washington resident returning to the world of theatre after a 6-

year hiatus. Almost, Maine has allowed her to fulfil a lifelong dream of performing onstage with the

person she loves, who is cast opposite her in many scenes throughout the show. Sam’s most recent

performance was in Gilbert & Sullivan operetta The Gondoliers presented by KAMP Music, where she

discovered she’s not in fact, a soprano. Past stage credits include Elaine in Red Curtain Foundation’s

production of Arsenic and Old Lace, and various Reader Theater’s showcases. Offstage, she can most

likely be found singing too loudly in public, chasing adventure with her boyfriend, and trying to take the

perfect picture of their British Shorthair cat, Egg. Sam would like to thank Denny for taking the leap

when she sent him an audition listing and the question “what if?”. There’s no one else she would rather be

figuring it all out with. Another big thank you to Steve and all her cast members for their unflagging

patience while she got the hang of treading the boards again. It’s her greatest hope that her and the fellow

townspeople of Almost will remind you that love, just like the northern lights, can be breathtaking,

overwhelming, and complicated to comprehend, but above all else: beautiful.

Sonja Rose Usher: Sonja Rose Usher is an Actress from Bothell, WA, and an original company member of HEART. She

grew up acting at Studio East until she obtained her bachelor's in Theatre Performance at Northern Arizona University. When

she came home, she got back out there starting with Lend Me a Tenor at Woodinville Rep, which was also directed by Steve

Cooper. Past shows with HEART include The Key and Host of Troubles, and she was recently onstage in Holmes and

Watson with the Edmonds Driftwood Players, and as Piglet in Winnie the Pooh with Storybook Theatre. She gives her thanks to

her family, friends, and everyone who has worked so hard on this show!

Dov Joel: Dov (Ensemble) is elated to invite you to the town of Almost. Previously, he's been seen as Jack in Into The

Woods (Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts), and Henry in Next to Normal (Whidbey Island Center for the Arts).

Outside of performances, he's studying towards a BA in Music. He'd like to thank Mom, Dad, The Squad, Grace, and everyone

who's helped him to get here.

Dov Joel: Dov (Ensemble) is elated to invite you to the town of Almost. Previously, he's been seen as Jack in Into The

Woods (Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts), and Henry in Next to Normal (Whidbey Island Center for the Arts).

Outside of performances, he's studying towards a BA in Music. He'd like to thank Mom, Dad, The Squad, Grace, and everyone

who's helped him to get here.