Lauren Lipson, a local actor with numerous TV and film credits, is co-starring in the first Toronto production of the critically acclaimed off-Broadway romantic comedy, Almost, Maine.
Lauren Lipson
Directed by Jennifer Copping, the inaugural offering of Little Tiny Things Productions, runs at the Tarragon Theatre’s Extra Space until May 15.
An ensemble piece by John Cariani, the play takes place in the remote, mythical town of Almost in Maine. Lipson said the play is about love and all that love encompasses. Almost, Maine consists of three vignettes that follow different sets of characters. “It’s all about the shades of love and the different stages of love and the joy, the pain, the confusion, the frustration and the loneliness and all the things that happen when you let yourself fall in love with someone,” she said.
Lipson plays Ginette in the vignette “Prologue,” Hope in “Hope’s Story” and Gayle in “Getting It Back.”
“In ‘Hope’s Story,’ Hope goes back to Almost, Maine, to recapture her youth and the love she once had, only to find out that man she has come back for, isn’t the man she sees at the door,” Lipson said.
“In ‘Getting It Back,’ I have been with my boyfriend for 11 years and I’m waiting for the ring, and it has not happened yet. I come with ‘bags of love’ representing all the years we’ve been together… and I am returning them all,” she added.
Lipson, along with Copping and actor Kate Spurgeon, founded Little Tiny Things Productions. They said the theatre company is dedicated to the power of truth in storytelling, with their mission being to serve the story, honour the characters and celebrate human connectedness.
Lipson wants audiences to come away from seeing Almost, Maine with a feeling of renewal and a feeling of strength in love and the belief in love, and that it’s OK to love. She said love is a journey and not always a bowl of cherries, but that love is a part of life if you let it happen.
Lipson, the lone actor in her family, is a graduate of the Acting Conservatory at York University. Her acting credits include the television shows The Rick Mercer Report, Little Mosque on the Prairie, The Line and Beautiful People, and three animation series, 6Teen, Total Drama Island and Stoked. Lipson also starred in the short film Gorgeous.
Besides acting, Lipson is a writer. She co-wrote and starred in the 48-hour Toronto Film Challenge award-winning short, AD/BC, and the award-winning short film, The Exquisite Corpses. Her first screenplay, Swirly Girl, is currently in development.
When she’s not working, Lipson, who is single, enjoys jogging, yoga and reading.
For tickets to Almost, Maine, call 416-531-1827. For more information, visit www.tarragontheatre.com.
