TheatreWorks presents OF MICE AND MEN

Showtimes:

Previews: 8pm
Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 7:30pm
Thursdays and Fridays: 8pm
Saturdays: 2pm, 8pm
Sundays: 2pm, 7pm

A literary masterpiece comes to life this spring when TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, presents OF MICE AND MEN.  Crafted for the stage by Steinbeck himself, this deeply moving portrait immortalizes the strength of friendship and the depth of the American dream.  OF MICE AND MEN plays April 4-29, 2012 (press opening April 7) at TheatreWorks at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts.  For tickets ($19-$69) and information the public may call (650) 463-1960 or visit www.theatreworks.org.

Broke and escaping a misunderstood past, quick-witted George and his friend Lennie, a towering giant with the mind of a young child, find work on a Salinas Valley ranch during the Great Depression.  The two men dream of having land of their own, but the road to proprietorship is filled complications, as they struggle to discern who they can trust.  While George does his best to protect Lennie, the boss’s hot-tempered son Curley is itching for a fight and Curley’s lonely, flirtatious wife is determined to stir things up.  In this powerful tale of ambition and loyalty, the men forge strong alliances and make dangerous enemies, all while harboring the most American dream of all.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Steinbeck (1902-1968), one of the great American writers of the 20th century, is known for his stirring social commentary about the plight of the rural farm worker during the Great Depression.  His most famous works include The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, Cannery Row, and Of Mice and Men.

TheatreWorks has a stellar cast for this production, including TheatreWorks newcomers AJ Meijer (Ahmanson Theatre, LA Theatre Ensemble, Getty Villa) as “Lennie”; Jos Viramontes (Bones and Lie To Me on FOX, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Playhouse) as “George”; Harold Pierce (California Shakespeare Theater, Marin Theatre Company, Shotgun Players) as “Curley”; and Lena Hart (Chautauqua Theatre Company, TheatreWorks/USA) as “Curley’s wife.”

Returning to the TheatreWorks stage are Charles Branklyn as “Crook,” seen in Radio Golf at TheatreWorks and has also played roles at Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, and the Magic Theatre; Chad Deverman as “Slim,” seen in The Sisters Rosensweig at TheatreWorks, and also in roles at SF Playhouse, California Shakespeare Theater, San Jose Repertory Theatre; Gary Martinez as “Candy,” remembered for roles in Into the Woods and Shakespeare in Hollywood at TheatreWorks, and has performed with Broadway by the Bay, Teatro Vision, and San Jose Stage Company; Josiah Polhemus as “Whit,” who was last seen in Snow Falling on Cedars at TheatreWorks, and in other roles at American Conservatory Theater and Shakespeare Santa Cruz; and Michael Ray Wisely as “Boss / Carlson,” last seen at TheatreWorks in To Kill a Mockingbird, and has played roles at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, San Jose Stage Company, Marin Theatre Company, and the Magic Theatre.

TheatreWorks Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley directs OF MICE AND MEN.  Kelley was honored as the Legacy Laureate of the 2012 Artist Laureate Awards by the Arts Council of Silicon Valley for his lifetime of artistic achievement.  Kelley has also received the Bay Area Theater Critics Circle (BATCC) Paine Knickerbocker Award for lifetime achievement as well as BATCC Awards for directing TheatreWorks’ productions of Caroline, or Change; Ragtime; Rags; Another Midsummer Night; the West Coast Premiere of Jane Eyre; and the Sondheim classics Sunday in the Park with George; Pacific Overtures; Into the Woods; and Sweeney Todd. Additionally, he is the recipient of Bay Area Drama-Logue Awards for his direction of Pacific Overtures, Ah, Wilderness!, and Once in a Lifetime; and Back Stage West Garland Awards for his direction of Side Show and Sunday in the Park with George. Since founding TheatreWorks in 1970, Kelley has directed over 150 productions for the company.

With some 100,000 patrons per year, TheatreWorks has captured a national reputation for artistic innovation and integrity, often presenting Bay Area theatregoers with their first look at acclaimed musicals, comedies, and dramas, directed by award-winning local and guest directors, and performed by professional actors cast from across the country.  A home for artists developing new works, it was at TheatreWorks that Memphis, the 2010 Tony Award-winning musical now in its third year on Broadway and currently on its first U.S. tour, was first workshopped and received its world premiere.