Drama Queens perform first full-length play, “Almost, Maine,” at Magicopolis Theater

By Maya Wernick, Voices Editor|April 17, 2018

Photo credit: Maya Wernick

Gracie Abrams ’18 and Maya Winkler ’18 argue during one of their scenes in the Drama Queens’ performance of “Almost, Maine.” This was the first off-campus performance for the Drama Queens.

Los Angeles is over 3,000 miles from Maine, but on Apr. 12 at the Magicopolis Theater in Santa Monica, the Drama Queens transported their audience to the rural town of Almost, Maine.

The Drama Queens, who are all members of the Advanced Study in Theater class, usually perform several unrelated scenes during lunchtimes scattered throughout the year.

But this show was different. “Almost, Maine,” a single show by John Cariani, consists of several two-person scenes about love in the remote town of Almost, Maine.

The Drama Queens were given a task for their final project: find a play, and in a few months and with no budget, put on a full-length show. This was different than anything they had done before, Artistic Director and theater teacher Tracy Poverstein said.

Senior Sara Friedman discovered the script and introduced it to the other actresses who ultimately decided that this show would be their final project.

Senior Sophie Evans-Katz directed the show, and it was the first theater production she ever directed.

“Directing the first Drama Queens show was an experience that I am overwhelmingly grateful for. It gave me a lot of clarity in that I now know that this is what I want to do in college, and possibly for the rest of my life,” Evans-Katz said in an email interview.

See below for a photo gallery of the show.

  • Livia Blum ’19 and Jayla Brown ’18 perform their scene during the show. Blum and Brown also starred alongside one another during the upper school play, “Peter and the Starcatcher,” earlier this year.

    Photo credit: Maya Wernick
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  • Maya Winkler ‘18 and Gracie Abrams ‘18 study a painting, trying to discern what it could possibly be. The one night only performance took place at the Magicopolis Theatre.

    Photo credit: Maya Wernick
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  • Noa Diamond ‘18 looks excitedly at the engagement ring she just received. Sophie Evans-Katz ’18 directed the show, and it was the first piece of theater that she had ever directed.

    Photo credit: Maya Wernick
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  • Sara Friedman ’18, Livi Richards ’19 and Jayla Brown ’18 stand in the Moosepatty Bar in Almost, Maine. All three girls have been doing theater throughout their time at Archer.

    Photo credit: Maya Wernick
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  • Shira Goldstein ’19 struggles on the ground after “falling” for Maya Winkler ’18. Besides being a Drama Queen, Goldstein also played Bat Boy in the upper school’s production of “Bat Boy: The Musical” in fall of 2017.

    Photo credit: Maya Wernick
    '
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