On Feb. 20, Rowan’s Theatre Department presented its opening performance of “Almost, Maine” in the Black Box Studio at Bunce Hall as a part of its MainStage Season.

“Almost, Maine,” which was written by John Cariani and first premiered in 2004, is a two-act play about love and romance that centers on a different couple in every scene, taking place under the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights, in a fictional town of Almost, Maine.

“I think that we’ve just gotten so used to feeling isolated and lonely, but this play celebrates human beings that are all fragile but coming together, and I think that’s a story that we need to tell more often,” said Dr. Elisabeth Hostetter, theatre arts professor at Rowan who directed “Almost, Maine.”

Each cast member played at least two different characters, and each scene had its own different couple dynamic. More lighthearted duets like Rhonda and Dave, played by Marisa Knipfer and Michael Moya respectively, put on a hilarious, gut-busting depiction of the beloved best friends-to-lovers trope in “Seeing the Thing.” In contrast, more mature and serious pairings like Phil and Marci, played by Sam Johnson and Jabriah Anderson respectively, displayed a very raw but real portrayal of a marriage on the verge of collapse in “Where It Went.”

“I was very, very excited going into it,” said Anderson, a theatre arts major who transferred to Rowan this school year. “I had a lot of energy, and I think for me I was very nervous because of the difference from the audience’s reactions, and I felt like everyone was so focused as they were watching, so I was like, ‘Why am I so nervous?’ Even moving the set, I was nervous, I was like, ‘What if I missed the mark that I need to put it on?’ And then, coming out of it, I felt great. Everybody did amazing. I’m so proud of us.”

One of the most heartwarming scenes comes in the form of “They Fell,” the fifth scene in “Almost, Maine” and the first of Act Two, which stars Grace McGory and Jeszenee Turner as Shelly and Deena, two best friends lamenting over previous failed heterosexual relationships. However, they soon realize that over the course of their friendship, they’ve actually fallen in love with each other, and the scene highlights the fear, awkwardness, and exhilaration that comes along with accepting that love and forging a new, no longer platonic relationship.

“That’s one of my favorite scenes in the show because I think it’s just really, really well written about the queer experience, and it’s a great refresher,” said Gracin Southard, a freshman theatre arts major at Rowan and assistant stage manager for “Almost, Maine.” “The rest of the show is casted as heterosexual romance, so to see a play as popular as ‘Almost, Maine’ come with a queer scene, especially given by the playwright as both a male and female option on top of that, is really great, and the way we’ve put it together is just so beautiful.”

Hostetter pitched the idea of directing “Almost, Maine” in the Black Box Studio instead of the Tohill Theater in Bunce Hall due to its smaller, more intimate atmosphere, creating a unique experience for both the crowd and the actors. In a sense, putting the show on in the Black Box Studio invites the audience into the performance not necessarily just as observers but as part of the show as well.

Performances for “Almost, Maine” will continue next week, from Feb. 28 to March 2. However, those remaining performances of “Almost, Maine” are currently sold out, with a waitlist intact in the event any seats open up to the public. Rowan’s next MainStage production will be The Music Man, coming to the Tohill Theater from April 3 to April 6.