Barter Theater Presents OF MICE AND MEN At Brooklyn Center For the Performing Arts 11/22

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College continues its 2009-2010 Theater Series on Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 3pm with the Barter Theatre's production of Of Mice and Men.

Adapted by John Steinbeck from his 1937 novella of the same name, the play tells the tragic story of George and Lennie, two migrant workers whose friendship is built on their common pursuit of The American Dream. Steinbeck originally titled it Something That Happened; however, he changed the title after reading Robert Burns's poem, "To a Mouse," which includes the line "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley." Burns's poem tells of the regret the narrator feels for having destroyed the home of a mouse while plowing his field; it suggests that no plan is fool-proof and no one can be completely prepared for the future.

"What strikes me now (about Of Mice and Men) is the strength of the dreaming," commented Barter Theatre's Associate Artistic Director Katy Brown, who also directed the production. "How each person, despite and, indeed, because of the harshness of their reality lives by dreaming about what is to come. These people's dreams are palpable; you can feel them hanging in the air, smell them, taste their need for land and home. There is no greater need for the American Dream, whatever our definition of that may become, than at times when the world around us seems out of our control. There is something powerful in the reaching, no matter if we attain the dream or no. Let us be brought together, then, dreaming, reaching for the beautiful 'what might be' no matter what may come."
Of Mice and Men was adapted to film several times, the first in 1939, only two years after the publication of the novel. This adaptation of Of Mice and Men stars Lon Chaney Jr. as Lennie, Burgess Meredith as George, and was directed by Lewis Milestone. It was nominated for four Oscars. In 1981 it was made into a TV movie with Randy Quaid as Lennie, Robert Blake as George, and Ted Neeley as Curley. The most recent film version of Of Mice and Men (1992) was directed by Gary Sinise (who also played the part of George), who was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes. The role of Lennie was played by John Malkovich. For this adaptation, both men reprised their roles from a 1980 Steppenwolf Theatre Company production.

Barter Theatre's production of Of Mice and Men features John Hardy (George) and Mike Ostroski (Lennie), along with Robin Bloodworth, Ashley Campos, Sean Campos, David Dossey, Ben Mackel, Vince McGill, Gannon McHale, and Rick McVey. The creative team includes Katy Brown (director), Cheri Prough DeVol (set design), Amanda Aldridge (costume design), Lucas Benjaminh Krech (lighting design), Ben Mackel (original music), Bobby Beck (sound design), Chase Molden (prop design), and Ryan Fischer (wig/make-up design).

John Steinbeck (Author and Playwright) was born in Salinas, CA on February 27, 1902, and attended Stanford University intermittently between 1920 and 1926, where he studied marine biology. Steinbeck did not gradutate from Stanford but instead chose to support himself through manual labor while writing. He had his first success in 1935 with Tortilla Flat, and his subsequent work, In Dubious Battle (1936), is the first Steinbeck novel to encompass the striking social commentary of his most notable work, which includes the novella Of Mice and Men (1937) and The Grapes of Wrath, for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award. Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1962 and died in New York City in 1968.

About Barter Theatre
With its unique beginnings during the Great Depression, Barter Theatre, one of the nation's oldest professional non-profit theatres, is located in beautiful historic Abingdon, Virginia. Barter Theatre is the a theatre of firsts: one of this nation's first professional regional theatres, the first professional theatre to by designated a state theatre (The State Theatre of Virginia), and the first recipient of the Tony® Award for Regional Theatre. Today, Barter welcomes over 160,000 visitors annually with its yearly season of musicals, classics, comedies, dramas and new southern and Appalachian plays performed on two stages.

Of Mice and Men is the second production of Brooklyn Center's 2009-2010 Theater Series, which also includes the Tony® Award-winning musical Hairspray on Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 3pm. Multibuy packages (any three or more performances from Brooklyn Center's 2009-2010 season) save up to 15% off individual ticket prices. Discounts are available for seniors, students, Brooklyn College faculty/staff/alumni, and groups of 15 or more.

About Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Founded in 1954, the mission of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts is to present outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities, at affordable prices. Brooklyn Center's presentations explore both the classical traditions and the boldest contemporary performances, embracing the world culture that defines Brooklyn. Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts welcomes over 70,000 people to the 2,400 seat Walt Whitman Theatre each season, and boasts one of the largest arts education programs in the borough, serving schoolchildren from over 225 schools annually with its SchoolTime series.

Of Mice and Men at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College, 2900 Campus Road, Brooklyn
Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 3pm; Tickets: $25

Online orders: BrooklynCenterOnline.org
Box Office: (718) 951-4500, Tuesday - Saturday, 1PM - 6PM
Groups of 15 or more: (718) 951-4600, ext. 22
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Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' programs are made possible in part with public funding from the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for the 2009-2010 season is provided by: Target; JP Morgan Chase; Brooklyn Community Foundation; Con Edison; National Grid; TD Bank; Macy's; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; Air Jamaica; the Carnegie Corporation of New York; and the Lila Acheson Wallace Theater Fund, established in the New York Community Trust by founders of The Reader's Digest Association. Additional support provided by CNG Publications, The Brooklyn Eagle, and WBGO. Marriott New York LaGuardia Airport is the official hotel of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts 2009-2010 season. Backstage catering graciously provided by Bettina Harris of The Corn Bread Diner and by Applebee's.

Brooklyn Center
acknowledges the support of Assemblymembers Karim Camara, Steven H. Cymbrowitz, Rhoda Jacobs, Alan Maisel, Joan L. Millman, N. Nick Perry, Annette Robinson, and Helene E. Weinstein, members of the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York State Assembly, and New York State Senators Martine Malavé Dilan, Kevin S. Parker, and John L. Sampson. Special thanks to Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Councilman Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., Councilmembers Kendall B. Stewart and Albert Vann, and Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin.