This fall, instead of one fall musical, the FSS theater department is putting on two plays, All in the Timing and Almost, Maine, directed by FSS alumna Mya Flood ‘14.
Both plays are comedies, and Almost, Maine, according to Mya, discusses relationships and love. Mya said, “I would say that they do have connecting themes when talking about communication and miscommunication and how humans interact with one another when it comes to those conflicts or connections.” Mya believed that the two plays would pair well together.
As a former afterschool teacher, Mya used to work with younger students, and this is her first time directing high school plays. “I’m excited to do something a little bit on the mature side,” Mya said, “Usually I’m doing a musical or children’s productions that don’t talk and reflect on what’s happening in the real world. So I’m excited for a mature play to be working on.”
Mya is also looking forward to working with Max Budnick, Technical Theater Director, but Max and the stage crew members are facing a challenge. “There will be a lot more moving pieces than normal,” Max said. “We will need to figure out how to safely store things backstage while still giving actors as much room as possible, and there are potentially a lot more design decisions to make than if we were creating one big set.” However, Max also likes having different things happening on stage to make the audience feel more engaged.
In addition to challenges in stage design, cast bonding is also taken into consideration. Cal Hawkins ‘25 said, “I do think a potential challenge is that the split of two plays makes the actors feel like less of a community, which is something I’ve always cherished in our theater department.” To help actors who are cast in both plays, Mya is working hard on balancing out the pressure on the preparation of plays, sports, and extracurriculars. She is also planning on having actors rehearse in costumes to increase the cast bonding, aiming for actors to feel more involved in the work.
As an FSS graduate, Mya said, “It’s been an honor to return back as an alum and direct on a stage where I found my theatrical spark.”
All in the Timing and Almost, Maine will run on November 21st, 22nd, and 23rd.
