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PRESS RELEASE
THEATRE ARLINGTON
SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
CONTACT: GARY PAYNE, Marketing Manager
Theatre Arlington Presents
Of Mice and Men
Play adapted by John Steinbeck
(from his novella by the same name)
Theatre Arlington continues its 41st anniversary season with the John Steinbeck classic Of Mice and Men. The play first
opened on Broadway in November of 1937 and has enjoyed a Broadway revival in 1974 and an Off-Broadway production
in 1987. There have also been several film versions and even an opera adaptation in 1970. Plans are currently in the
works for another Broadway revival starring James Franco as George in what will be his Broadway debut. The original
production, which predates the Tony Awards and Drama Desk Awards, earned the 1938 New York Drama Critics’ Circle
award for Best Play. While both the play and the novella are widely popular, and required reading in many schools,
there are many controversies surrounding its content that have led to its being censored in many school districts
throughout the country. It has been, and continues to be the target of censors; and appears on the list of the Most
Challenged Books of 21st Century and on the list of Banned and Challenged Books, as compiled by the American Library
Association, based on reports and data received from schools, libraries and the media. Many scholars have fought to
protect the book for its literary value. Of Mice and Men is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play
Service and is generously sponsored by Hill Gilstrap, P.C.
Our preview performance for Of Mice and Men will be on Thursday, October 24th at 7:30pm ($5 per ticket at door only–
no reservations). The show will officially open on Friday, October 25th at 8pm, followed immediately by a post-show
reception with the cast and crew, sponsored by Black-eyed Pea. Performances will continue through November 10th on
Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.
Theatre Arlington’s production, co-directed by Melanie Mason and Dennis Maher, features Elias Taylorson as George,
Van Quattro as Lennie, Gabriel Whitehurst as Slim, E. Scott Arnold as The Boss, Parker Fitzgerald as Curley, Nikki
McDonald as Curley’s Wife, Kit Hussey as Candy, Gregory Alan Cooke as Whit, Eugene Chandler as Carlson and Dennis
Raveneau as Crooks. Production team members include Anna Denney and Bethany Doolin (Stage Managers), Tony
Curtis (Set Design), Meredith Hinton (Costume Design) and Bryan Stevenson (Lighting Design), Jordana Abrenica (Sound
Design) and Wendy Wester (Properties Design).
Photos are available upon request. The approximate running time is two and a half hours (including a 15 minute
intermission) and it is recommended for mature audiences due to language and adult themes. Tickets are $22 for adults
with discounts available for seniors, students and groups. See website for more information –
www.TheatreArlington.org.
305 W. Main Street, Arlington TX 76010
phone 817.275.7661  metro 817.261.9628  fax 817.275.3370
www.theatrearlington.org
About the Playwright
John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902, and attended Stanford University, where he
studied marine biology, intermittently between 1920 and 1926. Steinbeck did not graduate from Stanford but instead
chose to support himself through manual labor while writing. Steinbeck's first novel, “Cup of Gold” was published in
1929, and was followed in 1932 by “The Pastures of Heaven” and, in 1933, by “To a God Unknown.” However, these first
three novels were unsuccessful both critically and commercially. Steinbeck had his first success with “Tortilla Flat” in
1935, an affectionately told story of Mexican-Americans imbued with gentle humor. His subsequent novel, “In Dubious
Battle” (1936), is a classic account of a strike by agricultural laborers and a pair of Marxist labor organizers who engineer
it, and is the first Steinbeck novel to encompass the striking social commentary of his most notable work. Steinbeck
received even greater acclaim for the novella “Of Mice and Men” (1937), a tragic story about the strange, complex bond
between two migrant laborers. His crowning achievement, “The Grapes of Wrath,” won Steinbeck a Pulitzer Prize and a
National Book Award. After the best-selling success of “The Grapes of Wrath,” Steinbeck went to Mexico to collect
marine life with the freelance biologist Edward F. Ricketts and the two men collaborated in writing “Sea of Cortez”
(1941), a study of the fauna of the Gulf of California. During the Second World War, Steinbeck wrote some effective
pieces of government propaganda, among them “The Moon Is Down” (1942), a novel of Norwegians under the Nazis. He
also served as a war correspondent. With the end of World War II and the move from the Great Depression to economic
prosperity Steinbeck's work did soften somewhat. While containing the elements of social criticism that marked his
earlier work, the three novels Steinbeck published immediately following the war, “Cannery Row” (1945), “The Pearl,”
and “The Bus” (both 1947), were more sentimental and relaxed in approach. Steinbeck also contributed to several
screenplays. He wrote the original stories for several films, including “Lifeboat” (1944), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and
“A Medal for Benny,” and wrote the screenplay for Elia Kazan's “Viva Zapata!,” a biographical film about Emiliano
Zapata, the Mexican peasant who rose to the presidency. Among Steinbeck’s later works are: “Burning Bright” (1950),
“East of Eden” (1952), “The Winter of Our Discontent” (1961), and “Travels with Charley” (1962). Steinbeck received the
Nobel Prize for literature in 1962 and died in New York City in 1968.
About the Directors
Melanie Mason is a part of the Communication faculty at UTA, with several past successful directing efforts for Theatre
Arlington, most recently Annie, Hollywood Arms, and Wait Until Dark. Dennis Maher is an Associate Professor of
Theatre and Resident Dramaturg at UTA.
About the Play
This classic John Steinbeck novel is a beautiful theatre piece. George and Lennie are two drifters who land work on a
farm. Lennie, being a boy in a large man’s body, is given the job of tending the rabbits. This keeps him calm and
peaceful, until a murder is committed on the farm. George must decide what to do with Lennie before the ranchers take
matters into their own hands.
About Theatre Arlington
For over 40 years, Theatre Arlington, located in the heart of Arlington, Texas, has provided the community with highquality, award-winning theatrical productions to more than 30,000 patrons, while running a year-round theatre school
and outreach programs for at risk youth.
305 W. Main Street, Arlington TX 76010
phone 817.275.7661  metro 817.261.9628  fax 817.275.3370
www.theatrearlington.org