As leaves start to change color outside, it becomes time again for the production of another fall play at Southern Lehigh. This year, the theater department will be performing “Almost, Maine,” a delightful play written by John Cariani.

The story takes place in the wonderful town of Almost, Maine, the play’s namesake. Everything about the town is just… almost. It is so far north that it is almost in Canada, and the town almost doesn’t exist due to its lack of residents.

The romantic comedy’s plot follows the stories of Almost residents. They constantly drift in and out of love while the northern lights dance across the sky above them, adding to the romance.

“I always view it as seasons. The [fall] play and [spring] musical are picked in separation. Part of ‘Almost Maine’ is that it compliments what I want to do in ‘Little Mermaid’ nicely. They partner well together,” theater director Mr. Matthew Wehr said. “I think it is a perfect high school play. It gives a lot of opportunities for students. It is an audience pleaser; they are going to get this.”

“Almost Maine” is not your typical high school play. It is composed of nine short performances, all of them focusing on the ideas of love and loss. These nine mini plays account for the uniqueness revolving around the entire production, along with its 19 different leads. Adding to the distinctive storyline is the stark contrast of personalities from the real life students to the characters they will be portraying.

“My favorite part of the play is that I am able to be the opposite of who I am,” senior Rachel Ziegler said. “Each of our characters are opposites of who we are in real life.”

The play also contains a series of surprise endings that will leave the audience exhilarated with the sense of both romance and sorrow. However, the story also manages to tie in a significant amount of comedic relief according to junior Jake Finkbeiner.

  “I’m looking forward to people’s reactions to the play. It’s a very deep play,” Finkbeiner said. “There are plenty of funny moments, but there are also powerful moments. It’s going to be interesting to see how people interpret it because every scene can be interpreted differently.”

Opening night is scheduled for November 2, with performances stretching through November 4.