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.

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