‘Almost, Maine’ debuts at LMC in early November

Excited cast members hope for a successful opening

Aliyah Ramirez, Staff Writer

November 2, 2023

Jayden Hawkins and emby play a married couple who wish on a shooting star.

Compelling stories of love will be captured on stage at Los Medanos College’s Little Theatre beginning Nov. 9. The playwright “Almost, Maine” written by John Cariani and directed by Clint Sides and Nick Garcia has been adapted into an upcoming production for the college.

Students from drama classes and the campus community have been working on the show since the beginning of the semester. Three actors explain how they prepare for the show as opening night is right around the corner.

Jayden Hawkins plays multiple characters in the play: Sandrine, Marvalyn, Marci and Rhonda. To stay prepared for the show, Hawkins has been “reading [the] script over and over again” and finds songs that relate to the characters and “get into the right headspace.”

Aqeel Andreas is also taking on various roles in the show: Easton, Steve and Chad. While perfecting his parts, Andreas ran lines “until they feel like more than just lines.” But more so understood “my partner’s characters as well as my own characters.”

Jorel Laranang is taking on two roles for the play: Jimmy and Randy. Laranang is focused on capturing emotions by repeatedly running lines to “capture the feeling of falling in love in an emotional, but comedic way.”

Much of the cast expressed their excitement for attendees to see everything come together from costume designs, music and more. Most actors in this production, such as Andreas, are hoping to create an environment that feels like “different worlds” and for the audience to “be pulled from their own realities for a short time.”

Opening night will be Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. and will run for one week. Tickets can be purchased online under the Drama “Now Playing” tab on the LMC website or at the door on the day of a show if seats are available. Prices of general admission begin at $15, students and service members at $12 and students with high school and middle school IDs at $10.

Upcoming show dates and times will be listed below.