Hudson Theatre Works to Kick Off Inaugural Season with OF MICE AND MEN, 4/5-21

Hudson Theatre Works, New Jersey's newest Equity theatre company will begin it's inaugural season with John Steinbeck's classic tale of friendship and compassion, Of Mice and Men. It is scheduled to run Thursdays thru Sundays, April 5th - 21st, at the historic Park Performing Arts Center (www.parkpac.org), 560 32nd Street, Union City, New Jersey, evenings at 8PM and matinees at 2PM. Tickets are $25 each with senior and student discounts available.

The production is directed by Artistic Director, Frank Licato. Mr. Licato (director of the Off-Broadway productions of "Requiem for a Heavyweight," "Lamppost Reunion." and Michael Puzzo's "Sprits of Exit Eleven") is the winner of a Perry Award for Best Director for his production of "Grapes of Wrath," as well as an Applause Award from the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

Actors, Randy Noojin (Boardwalk Empire, Royal Pains) and Gregory Erbach (On The Waterfront) will lead a cast of ten. Both veterans of stage, film and television, they will co-star as the play's iconic leads, George and Lennie. Randy Noojin's theatre credits include Hard Travelin' with Woody and America Hurrah Revisited. Gregory Erbach is a multi-talented theatre artist who has been working in professional theatre for over 25 years at venues including the American Place Theatre and Steppenwolf.

Nobel Prize-winning writer John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men was published in 1937 and its themes still ring true today. Based on Steinbeck's own experiences as a migrant worker in the 1920s, the play tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two down-on-their-luck ranch workers traveling together in California during the Great Depression. The play speaks to many audiences through its treatment of economic inequality and racism, as well as friendship and compassion. The play remains, after 75 years, an American classic.

Other members of the creative team include scenic/lighting designer John C. Shimrock, costume designer Anne Lowe, sound designer Donald Stark and producer Sally Ponzio. Hudson Theatre Works was founded by New Jersey residents Frank Licato, Gregory Erbach, and Karen Brady. The company first produced it's PlayWorks series, which is a developmental series for new plays. Hudson Theatre Works is committed to ensemble collaboration as well as artistic risk through its work with its permanent company, guest artists, partner institutions and the surrounding community. It is dedicated to a "rugged" aesthetic and will seek to tell stories both new and old, classic and contemporary, which reflect our lives, relationships and world today. Hudson Theatre Works' primary focus is in bringing a Living Theatre community to the area of Hudson and North Jersey through performance, outreach and theatre arts education.

For tickets, call 1-800-838-3006 or go to www.hudsontheatreworks.org.

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