OF MICE AND MEN Opens At People's Light 2/15

People's Light & Theatre will present John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, running February 15 – March 25, 2012 on the Main Stage. Company member David Bradley directs. People's Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355.

For tickets call 610.644.3500 or visit PeoplesLight.org. This production has been supported by WRTI.

About the show: "Of Mice and Men is John Steinbeck's heart-wrenching tale of George and Lennie, an unlikely pair of migrant workers who dream of purchasing a piece of land to farm and call their own. This classic American drama is a story of deep friendships and hard choices, set against the backdrop of Depression-era California."

Through a professional development grant from the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative of Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, Director David Bradley spent five days in the Salinas Valley of California, where Of Mice and Men is set. "During my research I wanted to get a sense of what the world might feel like in this play. What I took away from the experience was a dual feeling of isolation and promise. The Salinas Valley is called the Salad Bowl of the world, having always been fertile. However, Steinbeck's characters are simply cogs in the machine of that abundance, always moving from job to job, never really getting to share in it."

Set Designer Wilson Chin has designed back-to-back sets at People's Light this winter, first for the production of Fallow on the Steinbright Stage and now for Of Mice and Men on the Main Stage. "Both plays are set in Northern California and they illustrate how some of the greatest tragedies in life can happen in the most beautiful places," he says.

The production will feature both the lush landscape of Northern California (including the Salinas River) and the bunkhouse where the men reside. "It can feel very claustrophobic in the bunkhouse, both physically and emotionally," Chin explains. "The men are thrust into this close environment with one another, but they still feel very much alone. Yet, I've designed the set so that the sun is always the light, even when the action is indoors. The walls have slits in them so you can still feel the sun permeating every space."

Bradley says, "It is in the space between the facts and the feelings that this story lies, so we want to make this world as tangible as we can. It is a place full of obstacles preventing people from making connections, causing the story to roll inexorably towards its conclusion. Steinbeck asks: what does a person need to do to survive? And what happens if he turns to the person next to him instead and takes an interest? It is the struggle between these two poles that makes Of Mice and Men such an enduring story."

TICKET INFORMATION

Of Mice and Men previews on Wednesday, February 15th and Thursday, February 16th at 7:30pm. The play opens on Friday, February 17th at 8pm and runs through March 25th. Audiences are encouraged to join the artists after each Thursday evening performance for a conversation about the production.

Single tickets range in price from $25 – $45. For tickets, call the box office at 610.644.3500. Special discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase group tickets, call 610.647.1900 x134 or email charles@peopleslight.org. Actors, prices, performance dates and times are subject to change. Additional service charges will apply. Contact the box office for more details.

Subscription tickets are still available for the 2011-2012 Season. Productions in the 3-Play Series include Of Mice and Men (February 15 – March 25, 2012), Shakespeare's Will (May 30 – June 24, 2012), and Mr. Hart and MR. Brown (July 18 – August 19, 2012). Productions in the PNC Arts Alive Family Discovery Series include Shipwrecked! (March 22 – April 15, 2012) and A Wrinkle in Time (April 26 – May 20, 2012).

SPECIAL EVENT

On March 9th People's Light & Theatre will partner with Art Reach for an Independence Starts Here community event, featuring a fully-accessible performance of Of Mice and Men at 8pm. The performance will include open captioning, audio description, sensory tours, and American Sign Language. Contact the box office at 610.644.3500 for more information.

ABOUT PEOPLE'S LIGHT

People's Light, a professional, not-for-profit theatre in Chester County, Pennsylvania, makes plays drawn from many sources to entertain, inspire, and engage our community. We extend our mission of making and experiencing theatre through arts education programs that excite curiosity about, and deepen understanding of, the world around us. These plays and programs bring people together and provide opportunities for reflection, discovery, and celebration. Founded in 1974, we produce seven to nine plays each season, in two black box theatres with 350 and 170 seats respectively, mixing world premieres, contemporary plays, and fresh approaches to classic texts for our 6-Play and Discovery Series.

BIOS

John Steinbeck (Playwright): The author, playwright, war correspondent, and journalist grew up in Salinas, California. He first gained literary success with the novel Tortilla Flats in 1935. Of Mice and Men, which was published in novel form and produced on Broadway in 1937, assured his popularity across the nation. In 1940 The Grapes of Wrath earned a Pulitzer Prize. In 1962 he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. He died six years later in New York City, where he had spent the latter portion of his life. Though his total works amounted to four screenplays, three travel narratives, sixteen novels, a collection of short stories, and two published journals, critics point to Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath as his greatest literary triumphs.
David Bradley (Director): A PLTC company member since 1991, David's more than two dozen productions include Tom Sawyer, Doubt, Gossamer, and The Crucible. He's directed frequently at Indiana Rep, Philadelphia Young Playwrights and the National Constitution Center (most recently Fighting for Democracy and the sixth season of Living News). As teaching artist and consultant, David Often focuses on the intersection of art and community/civic engagement. He's co-founder of LiveConnections, which creates multigenerational music programs at World Cafe Live.
Wilson Chin (Scenic Designer): People's Light: Fallow, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Gossamer, Nathan the Wise. New York: Next Fall (Broadway), 10 things to do before I die, Len Asleep in Vinyl and The Dear Boy (Second Stage), Dark Matters (Rattlestick), Boom (Ars Nova). Opera: Lucia di Lammermoor (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Eine Florentinische Tragodie (Canadian Opera). Regional: ACT, Geffen, Geva, Guthrie, Hartford Stage, Indiana Rep, Old Globe, Portland Stage, Shakespeare Theatre, Signature, Trinity Rep, Westport, Yale Rep. www.wilsonchin.com

Ian Bedford (Lennie): Previously at People's Light: Long John Silver in the first Treasure Island Panto. In Philadelphia: Superior Donuts (Arden), six seasons with Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. NY and regional credits: The School of Night (Mark Taper Forum), Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), The Beaux Stratagem (Shakespeare Theatre, DC), Our Town (La Jolla Playhouse), Flags (59E59). Recent television: Nurse Jackie, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: S.V.U.

Jessica Bedford (Curley's Wife): Previously seen in The Master Builder (Kaja) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Nurse Flinn). Recent credits include Louise/Private Lives (Lantern), Jane/Pride & Prejudice (PA Shakespeare Festival), and Sylvia/Sylvia (Act II). She serves as Associate Artistic Director at Montgomery Theater, and is a member of the theatre faculty at DeSales University. DeSales University: B.A., Villanova University: M.A.

Peter DeLaurier (Candy): An Artistic Associate at PLTC, Peter has been with the Theatre since 1981. He has played a lot of roles here in the intervening years. He has won and lost Barrymore Awards in all non-musical acting categories. He has published three plays, including Anne of Green Gables (Barrymore nomination). He has directed at PLTC and at theatres around the country, serving as Artistic Director of New Stage Theatre in Jackson, MS. With his wife, PLTC actress Ceal Phelan, and other friends, he co-founded The Delaware Theatre Company in 1978.

Chris Faith (Curley): Last seen in Treasure Island (2011). He is a multiple Barrymore Award nominee, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for Treasure Island in 2007 here at PLTC and won a Barrymore Award for Best Ensemble for PLTC's Cinderella. Other credits include The Secret Garden and Like It Is (Off-Broadway), productions at the Wilma, Arden, 1812 Productions, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Luna Theatre, Act II Playhouse, among others. Recently, Chris was hired as an adjunct professor for Temple University teaching musical theater.

Lou Ferguson (Crooks): Last seen at PLTC in Dividing the Estate and at The Wilma in Athol Fugard's Coming Home. Broadway: Seven Guitars, Two Trains Running, Playboy of the West Indies. Regional theatre: The Bluest Eye, Drowning Crow, Everyman, Les Blancs, The Hasty Heart, Oedipus the King. Television: Jonny Zero, Third Watch, Law & Order, Another World, General Hospital. Film: Attica, The Interpreter, Maid in Manhattan, Stone Mansion, Radical Jack, No Place to Hide, The Tested.

Andrew Kane (Whit): PLTC: Treasure Island, Hatchetman, The Three Musketeers, The Emperor's New Clothes, King Lear, Snow White, and Cinderella. Regional: Two Noble Kinsmen, Antony and Cleopatra, and Twelfth Night, among others at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Hamlet and 1 Henry IV at Lantern Theater, The Lieutenant of Inishmore at Theatre Exile, Compleat Wrks... (Abridged) and The Credeaux Canvas at Theatre Horizon, and Go, Dog. Go! at Arden Theatre. B.A.: DeSales University.

Mark Lazar (Carlson): PLTC Company Member (15 seasons) and dons The Frock for PLTC's annual Holiday Panto. Last season: The Master Builder, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Secret of Sherlock Holmes. Recent: Cato with Theatre of War. Companies: Madison Rep (10 seasons); North Carolina Shakespeare Festival (12 seasons). Theatres: American Players Theatre, Charlotte Rep, Milwaukee Rep, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, New American, Next Act, Next Generation, Shaw Festival, Tessaract, Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival, among others. National tours: Charlotte's Web.

Pete Pryor (George): PLTC company member and new Associate Artistic Director. He is the co-founder of 1812 Productions and the resident artist at the Pathway School. Pete is an Independence Foundation Fellowship Artist and winner of 3 Barrymore Awards. In 2010 he received a Lunt-Fontanne fellowship. His new play Beautiful Boy will be part of the Community Matters reading series this May.

Jerry Richardson (Slim): Stones in His Pockets (Zephyr), Anniversary (Ensemble Studio Theatre), FUBAR (59E59), Christmas Carol and This Wonderful Life (Indiana Repertory Theatre), Unexpected Guest, The Mousetrap (Fulton Opera House), Midsummer Night's Dream (Vermont Shakespeare), Hay Fever (Cape Cod Playhouse), Sweet Bird of Youth (The Shakespeare Theatre), As You Like It (Folger Theatre), Love's Labor's/Henry IV (American Shakespeare Center), Scooby Doo national tour. Film and TV: The Producers, Gigantic, Law & Order, Guiding Light, Homicide.

Tom Teti (The Boss): Last seen in PLTC's Panto Treasure Island. Before that he was seen in Seth Rozin's Two Jews Walk into a War at InterAct and directed Shirley Valentine at Hedgerow. He recently appeared at PLTC in Hatchetman, Tom Sawyer, The Three Musketeers, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Tom was also Mark Twain in Mark Twain Onstage last season, a one-man presentation. He teaches acting at Hedgerow Theater.

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