At the Nelson Performing Arts Center next week, Powell High School’s Acting 2 class will perform in “Almost, Maine.”

This semester marks the second time that Acting 2 — a concurrent enrollment class that alternates with Intro to Theater — has been offered at Powell High School. However, when the curtains rise at 7 p.m. on April 1, “Almost, Maine” will represent the class’s first performance in front of an audience.

The play is a collection of scenes about people “falling in and out of love in unexpected ways,” according to the synopsis provided by Dramatist Play Service, the play’s publisher.

“Part of the reason I chose it was because of the way that it’s organized. It fit right in with what we’re doing,” teacher Robert Hunt said. “Most of the play is a collection of two-person scenes, and in Acting 2 class, that’s kind of what we’re doing is scene work. So the scene work fit exactly in with what we’re doing in the class, and the collection of scenes turns into a play.”

The class differs from the PHS drama club, which is now directed by Jeff Greaham.

PHS senior, Acting 2 student Dakota Hansen — who’s also a member of the drama club — said preparing for this play differs from a drama club performance “because it’s kids who have worked on acting and we’ve done different drills and we know a lot more.”

“[Drama] club involves a lot of different groups of people whereas [in] Acting 2 these people have trained a little bit more,” Hansen said.

“Almost, Maine” was written by John Cariani of “Law and Order” fame. It’s not a new play but has found a recent surge in popularity after being critically panned when first released in 2004. Hunt says that for several years, “Almost, Maine” has been one of the most popular plays for high school programs.

“I think that probably the reason that it’s so popular out there is because the actors have to be very honest in the way that they portray these characters,” Hunt said. 

He said “Almost, Maine” has the added benefit of being a romantic comedy, which presents more of a challenge for his students.

“If they try to play it for the comedy, it’s going to fail, it’s not going to be funny,” Hunt said. “There’s kind of an allure to this, in that the characters are so vulnerable, and it’s that vulnerability that we laugh at. Because we all kind of recognize it in ourselves.”

The class of 11 will have students playing multiple roles throughout the isolated scenes of “Almost, Maine,” allowing students to experiment with different characters and emotions.

“It’s fun seeing how they interact with each other and play off of each other’s emotions,” sophomore Kinsley Braten said.

Tickets for “Almost, Maine” will be $5 for general admission and $3 for students. All proceeds will go back to the Charlotte Patrick Speech and Debate Society, which is funding the play.

“Everybody should come,” Hunt said, “because there’s no better way that I can think of to spend an April Fool’s Residency than in a comedy.”