The lights turn on in the auditorium as cast and crew interlock hands to take a bow; the audience bursts into applause to congratulate the young performers on their opening night of “Almost Maine”.

On Nov. 16, 2022, John F. Kennedy Memorial High School opened its doors at 7 p.m. for its first-ever fall play. In the span of three days, the young Mustang cast and crew, led by veteran director, Ms. Montalvo, performed the play “Almost Maine”. 

The play takes place in the fictional town of Almost, Maine. The audience experiences the life-altering power of the human heart in eight different scenes. In these scenarios, relationships begin, end or change beyond recognition, while strangers become friends, friends become lovers, and lovers turn into strangers.

The cast did an amazing job of holding an emotional connection with the audience by portraying their roles so eloquently. Cast member Daylin Arellano, who portrays the parts of Gayle and Shelly, was asked about how she prepared for her role.

“I did take a theatre 1 class before so I have acted [before]..but never in front of an audience really,” Arellano stated.  “I prepared by not preparing. “…since its so intimate, I tried not to think about it too much, you know?” 

Despite delivering a nearly flawless on-stage performance, the cast and crew faced many challenges behind the curtain. Early on in production, the crew lost their set designer, Mrs. Acuna-Francisco.

“We did have a student set designer, Laila Mohamad, she really stepped up and took on Mrs. A’s role,” said Mrs. Montalvo. “So without her, we wouldn’t have had the cute little set that we did.” 

With multiple factors against them like time, health and just overall inconvenient situations, Ms. Montalvo is extremely proud of everybody. She plans to make fall plays annual at JFKMHS so that students can enjoy shows not only in the spring, but now in the fall as well.