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Corona Radio Theater: South Bay Musical Theatre - Ming Luke - Dreams during the pandemic

This week on Open Air, KALW’s radio magazine for the Bay Area Performing Arts in Times of Corona, host David Latulippe welcomes members of the South Bay Musical Theatre on to the virtual stage of the Corona Radio Theater. Actors Joseph Cloward, Morgan Dayley, Kerie Darner, and Jenni Chapman perform selected scenes from Almost, Maine, a critically acclaimed play by American actor and playwright John Cariani (b. 1969). 

Almost, Maine premiered at the Portland Stage Company in 2004 and is Cariani’s best known play. It consists of nine short vignettes that explore love and loss in a remote, mythical place called Almost, Maine - not organized enough for a town, too populated for a wilderness. 

There, on one deeply cold and magical Midwinter Night, the citizens of Almost experience the life-altering power of the human heart. Relationships end, begin, or change beyond recognition, as strangers become friends, friends become lovers, and lovers turn into strangers.

Almost, Maine  has become one of the most frequently produced plays in North America. In 2014, The Washington Post reported that Cariani’s play had replaced Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream  as the most frequently produced play in North American High Schools.

Also on the show is conductor Ming Luke to discuss the activities of his Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra (BCCO) in Times of Corona, and the various creative ways in which he continues to hold weekly BCCO meetings. Included are a vocal warm up and sing along with an on-screen score, and demonstrations or mini concerts from musicians here and afar, such as a recent talk by Derek Tam about Bach’s  Goldberg Variations

Plus, Open Air’s regular contributor and critic at large, Peter Robinson, reports on some listener’s dreams, reviews books on ‘Why we Sleep’ and ‘Why we Dream’, and explores why during the pandemic, our dreams become more vivid and memorable. 

Open Air with host David Latulippe will broadcast live on Thursday, June 11 at 1pm. The show will be archived at this very location afterwards…