Theatre For Good Presents “Almost, Maine” With Broadway Star John Cariani
You’ve probably heard of, if not seen, “Almost, Maine. “ It’s said to be the most produced play in the country, performed by professional actors and high school thespians alike. Now, Caroline Kinsolving, the Litchfield County resident and stage and screen actor/yoga instructor, is bringing it to Washington Depot, Conn. It will star herself and the play’s author and award-winning actor John Cariani at the Judy Black Park and Gardens July 17-18.
When we first met Kinsolving, she had already created Theatre for Good (TFG) and Yoga for Good. Proceeds from her local theater productions and some of her yoga classes are donated to charity. In three years, Yoga for Good has raised a whopping $32,000. Proceeds from “Almost Maine” will benefit Wintergreen Arts and Judy Black Park.
Berkshire audiences might remember John Cariani from his role in “Dancing Lessons” by playwright Mark St. Germain that Barrington Stage Company premiered several years ago. Cariani has appeared on Broadway as Itzik in the Tony Award-winning best musical, “The Band’s Visit;” Nigel Bottom in “Something Rotten!” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” On film, he has shared the screen with Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Ed Asner. On television he’s held recurring roles on “Law & Order,” “Numb3rs,” and “The Onion News Network.” As a playwright, he is best known for “Almost, Maine,” his first play. It has received over 5000 productions to date and has been translated into over a dozen languages. Recently, two area high schools mounted their own productions of it.
Kinsolving has a long association with both the play and playwright.
“I feel passionately about this play,” she says. “It’s the play that got me my Equity card.” She met Cariani in Los Angeles at a casting call for its West Coast debut. Although she was slotted for the unfortunate first audition spot — no one is quite awake that early in the day — she related to the scene of a girl going through a breakup. The character wanted love back, and, at the time, so did Kinsolving. Cariani was impressed, and she got the part. It was the start of a longtime friendship.
“That was one of the most beautiful productions I have ever seen,” Kinsolving says. Since then, she has appeared in all of Cariani’s plays, both readings and shows. She’s performed in multiple productions of “Almost, Maine.” At Theatre for Good, the 18-character play will be performed by Cariani and herself. “It’s fun being a John Cariani actress,” she says.
Like “Our Town,” which she produced at Theatre for Good two years ago, “Almost Maine” fits into the “slice of life” category, a story that all of us can see ourselves in. For those of us in the RI region, it may have special meaning, because it’s a romantic comedy about rural, working people.
“We feel, in this play, a lot of love in all its complicated forms,” Kinsolving says. “It’s funny, sweet and romantic, but it’s really real — not tied up in a bow or Hollywood ending.”
Because “Almost, Maine” became so popular in high schools, Cariani wrote the book version of the play, launched last summer. Kinsolving has arranged for Cariani to appear at a Q&A and book signing at The Hickory Stick Bookshop at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 17.
Kinsolving was last seen on stage in “Cry It Out” at Hartford Stage. She has earned a Best Actress nomination for her work as Vanda in “Venus in Fur” and has played a majority of Shakespeare’s comical leading ladies. Other theater credits include Monica (Lewinsky) at the Edinburgh Fringe, Jennie in Neil Simon’s “Chapter Two;” and was seen in town in “Love, Loss and What I Wore” with Christine Baranski and Mia Farrow. Her TV credits include “Medium,” “Criminal Minds” (with Tim Curry), “Cold Case,” “Satisfaction,” and a number of indie films and Hallmark movies. Yoga, however, was her saving grace during the pandemic. She was teaching up to 20 yoga classes a week, providing her with at least a tiny but hushed stage in which to appear before an audience. “It was pretty nice not to be a gypsy or run around to auditions,” she admits.
But now, with things opening up, she can go back to the actual stage, and she’s thrilled to bring this play that illuminates love in all its complicated forms.
“I busted my butt to get John here because I want my community to have that experience with this play,” she says. “John is one of the greatest human beings I know and while he is wildly talented and successful as an actor and writer, I think who he is as a person makes him a star that we can all learn from.”
Since it began, TFG has raised over $6,000 for local charities. Admission is a suggested donation of $30 per person or donate what you can. This time the donations will benefit Wintergreen Arts and Judy Black Park and Gardens in memory of Denise Trevenen.
To reserve tickets Venmo @Caroline-Kinsolving or email CKinsolving@mac.com.
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