Two Salina Central students on four shows, shifting scene partners and a snowy little town called Almost, Maine

When Salina Central High School's theater students take the stage for "Almost, Maine" next week, no two audiences will see quite the same show.

The cast and crew of 23 students will rotate between acting roles and crew work over four performances, according to a news release from the school. For junior Camille Graber, who plays Hope, Glory, the Waitress and Suzette and serves as an assistant stage manager, that rotation is the main reason to come.

From left, William Howe and Ava Weaverling rehearse a scene from "Almost, Maine" at Salina Central High School. (Photo courtesy USD 305 / Salina Central)

"Someone should come out to see the show because no matter which show you see, everything is different," Graber wrote in answers to questions from Salina311. "Some people like me, or Oscar, have the same scene twice, but we don't have the same scene partners, which makes it more interesting."

John Cariani's play is set on a cold winter night in Almost, Maine, a place so far north it is "almost in Canada," where residents fall in and out of love under the northern lights, according to the release. Graber and senior Ava Weaverling, who plays Gayle and Marci and is one of the show's stage managers, answered questions about their roles, rehearsals and what it is like to work both onstage and behind the scenes. Barbara Hilt, Salina Central's theater director and instructor, sent their answers along with rehearsal photos Nov. 2.

Graber described Glory, the role she focused on, as "a passionate person who doesn't always understand her feelings, but wants to do right for everyone." The part of Glory she relates to most, she wrote, is "Glory's inclination to talk really fast when she's nervous."

Rehearsals have had their lighter moments. "When rehearsing the more personal parts of the scene, I can't help but laugh which makes my scene partner laugh, and I often just giggle through the lines," Graber wrote.

Her favorite scene is "They Fell," she wrote, "because I think it's super funny."

From left, William Howe and Ava Weaverling rehearse on a bench onstage at Salina Central High School. (Photo courtesy USD 305 / Salina Central)

Weaverling described her two characters in a sentence each. "Gayle is a girl who is fed up with the behavior of her boyfriend," she wrote. "Marci is a wife who is tired of feeling lonely."

What she shares with them, she wrote, is "their independence in their relationships."

"Both of my scenes consist of a woman putting their boyfriend/husband in their place," Weaverling wrote. "They are both women who do not take anything less than the bare minimum in their relationships and they are not afraid to speak their mind when they aren't receiving the best treatment."

From left, Dominic Freeland and Kayla Amaro rehearse a scene from "Almost, Maine." (Photo courtesy USD 305 / Salina Central)

The scene she most wants audiences to see is "This Hurts," which she described as being "about a girl who is in a toxic relationship and a boy who can't feel pain."

"They have a very cute touching scene with some comedic elements of physical comedy," she wrote. "This scene to me is just very witty and not what you would expect."

From left, Dom Brosie and Atticus Crow rehearse on the "Almost, Maine" set in the Salina Central auditorium. (Photo courtesy USD 305 / Salina Central)

The two students described the double duty of acting and crew work differently.

For Graber, it has been a juggling act. "It has been kind of challenging to work with different scene partners, as well as memorizing," she wrote. "I feel like the amount of lines to memorize is about the same as a normal show, but it feels like more when there are four shows to keep up with. It is also hard to balance working on lines versus working on tech things because both need to get done by the same time."

For Weaverling, it has been a chance to grow into a second role. "I have always really loved acting but I have also begun to love being a stage manager," she wrote. "This show has given me the chance to do both. It has also been very fun to teach some of our other stage managers what it is like to be a stage manager."

Her pitch to audiences leans on the season. "If you are wanting to see something to get you into the snowy mood you should definitely come see Almost Maine," Weaverling wrote. "People should also come see the show multiple times because each night will be different."

Atticus Crow rehearses a scene from "Almost, Maine." (Photo courtesy USD 305 / Salina Central)

If you go

Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, through Saturday, Nov. 14, and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, in the Salina Central High School auditorium, 650 E. Crawford St. Audience members should enter through the school's south entrance.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. They are available online through GoBound at https://www.gobound.com/ks/schools/salinacentralhs/tickets or at the auditorium box office, which opens one hour before each performance.

The show runs about two hours with a 15-minute intermission. "Almost, Maine" is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Dramatists Play Service.

Read the earlier story: https://www.salina311.com/stories/2026-10-25-salina-central-theater-students-to-stage-almost-maine-nov-12-15