OF MICE AND MEN
The University Theatre September 24, 25 , 30, October 1, 2 and 3 Kennedy Theatre University of Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii OF HIICE AND HIEN
Directed by Glenn Cannon Scene Design by Richard G. Mason Costume Design by Sandra Finney Technical Direction by Mark Boyd Lighting Design by Joan Gossett
CAST OF CHARACTERS George ...... Earll Kingston Lennie ...... Dale Ream Candy ...... Peter Clark The Boss ...... Barry Knapp Curley ...... Michael Hasegawa Curley's Wife ...... Shirley Stringer Slim ...... Don Boardman Carlson ...... Andy Puccetti Whit ...... Charles Martin Crooks ...... James Braggs
SYNOPSIS OF SCENES Act I Scene 1: A sandy bank of the Salinas River. Thursday night. Scene 2: The interior of a bunkhouse. Late Friday morning.
Act II Scene I: The same as Act 1-Scene 2. About seven-thirty Friday evening. Scene 2: The room of the stable buck, a lean-to. Ten o'clock Saturday evening.
Act III Scene 1: One end of a great barn. Mid-afternoon, Sunday. Scene 2: Same as Act !-Scene I. Sunday night. Time: The late 1930's Place: An agricultural valley in Northern California.
There will be two 10-minute intermissions. OF MICE AND MEN
Director's Notes: John Steinbeck was born on February 27 , 1902, of a middle income family in the Salinas Valley of California. In this area that knew fertility as well as drought, he learned that man shared the essence and destiny of all living things; there was a oneness of man with men and man with nature. Although from a middle class family, Steinbeck labored with the workers of the country and shared an intimate association with them. He could go into a ranch and win the admiration of the buckers. He admired their courage, honesty and "high survival quotient." He wrote about them and the land and time with which he was familiar: the orchards and fields of California, the Depression, and the slums. He was able to touch the heartbeat of American life with his ability to create a physical, social and psychological environment that immediately becomes real to us. Steinbeck attended Stanford University and took every writing course except play writing because the professor considered him unfit. Ironically, the novel that established him as one of the most popular American writers of his time was first written as a play. It was accepted by the publishers in novel form under the title OF MICE AND MEN. Originally titled an unsentimental SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED, Steinbeck re titled OF MICE AND MEN after Burns' poem which depicts the futility of man's dreams:
But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane, In proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft agley An' le'a us nought but grief an' pain For promis'd joy.
The play was first produced in San Francisco where it was well received. With sugges tions from George S. Kaufmann, Steinbeck rewrote the play. He retained 85% of the lines from the novel and compressed the descriptive passages into stage directions. Then the play, in its present form, opened successfully on Broadway on November 23 , 1937 and the Drama Critics Circle awarded it the prize of the best play of the year. In response to questions on the meaning of the play, Steinbeck replied "All I tried to write was the story of two Salinas Valley vagrants. It hasn't any meaning or special signifi cance outside of what appears on the surface. It's just a story. I don't know what it means, if anything, and damned if I care. My business is only storytelling." However, like all of his works, OF MICE AND MEN is filled with humor and pathos, pity and terror, as well as beauty and charm. It is about illusions and tragedy that touch all of our lives.
Glenn Cannon KENNEDY THEATRE'S NEXT PRODUCTION
William Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, directed by Terence Knapp will be the next Kennedy Theatre production. Performances are scheduled for October 28 , 29, 30, November 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 on the Kennedy Mainstage. MUCH ADO is set in Sicily and director Knapp has chosen the early part of the 19th Century with its left overs of Napoleonic fashions and crumbling Empires to frame this passionate and witty comedy darkened by Omerta and parody of macho. The running battle of wit and feeling between Beatrice and Benedick is set against the wicked conniving of Don John, the bastard brother of Don Pedro of Aragon, to ruin Hero, the betrothed of Claudio, favorite of the Prince. Mistaken identities, a gang of constables and watchmen led by a big-mouth Dogberry, compound the puzzles and passions of the plot. The big rejection scene at the marriage altar and the Rococo lamentations at the tomb of the dead girl, Hero, give the play the makings of a Hollywood spectacular starring Errol Flynn and an Italian Town Band. This production of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is the third Shakespearian comedy that Terence Knapp has directed at Kennedy Theatre. In November, 1972, A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM with Flower Power, Trips and Moog Synthesiser trim mings danced and weaved its magic across the mainstage. In December of 1974, following a modern dress production of TWELFTH NIGHT in Tokyo which created box-office records for Kumo Company, Knapp directed James Grant Benton's adaptation of the work entitled TWELF NITE OR WATEVA for Kumu Kahua in the Lab Theatre. The play was an uproarious delight in its holoku and slack-key guitar framework. Shakespeare would have been happy with his characters romping through a world of Hawaiian make-believe. The up coming MUCH ADO performance promises to again delight and fascinate its audiences. With an upsurge of nonsense and deep heart-stirrings, fireworks and strains of melody from CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA, the performers will endeavor to tickle your appetites with Will's Cassata Siciliana. PRODUCTION STAFF
Assistant to the Director- Sandra Erlandson. Stage Manager- Sarah Moon. Light Crew- Joan Gossett, Randy Carney. Set Construction- Leigh Bergh, Keith Jenkins, Leo Jones, Gerald Kawaoka, Theresa Wong, John Young. Costume Construction- Gail Stewart, Eden Tomboolian, Annette Hoffman, Casey Cameron. Make-up Design- Charles E. Martin. Make-up Crew- Mel Gionson, Barbara S. Hartmans, Gerald Kawaoka, Allan Kobayashi, Giat Pumpiputt, Anna Viggiano. Photography- Nelson Ho. Program- Gay Burk, University Public Relations; Sunny Bratt, Publicity. Publicity- Sunny Bratt, Gail Stegmaier. House Manager- Randy Hoover. Box Office- Karen Brilliande, David Furumoto, Lester Mau, Theresa Neilson. Poster design- Suzanne Bowen, Graphic Media Design.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: "Charlie Kealoha," the dog, is owned by Patt and Raymond Spencer. The 1976- 77 University Theatre season announcement brochure design by Michael Ta maru, University Relations.
DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA AND THEATRE
FACULTY: Edward Langhans, Chairman; Glenn Cannon, Director of the Theatre; Carl Wolz, Director of Dance; James Brandon, Mark Boyd, Dennis Carroll, Bernard Dukore (on leave), Sandra Finney, John Hu, Tamara Hunt, Terence Knapp, Roger Long, Yasuki Sasa, Takako Asakawa Walker.
LECTURERS: John Elzey, James Hutchison, Jacqueline Kellet, David Hatch Walker.
STAFF: Art Calderia, Takeo Miji, Nancy Takei.
GRADUATE ASSISTANTS: Emily Adams, Catherine Bratt, Linda Bredin, Howard Brewer, Joseph Dodd, Patricia Harter, Kitty Heacox, Linda Jahnke, Mary Lewis, Gail Stewart.
Notice: Smoking is not allowed in the auditorium nor may photographs or recordings be made during performance. THE UNIVERSITY THEATRE 1976- 1977 SEASON
John Steinbeck's OF MICE AND MEN- directed by Glenn Cannon September 24, 25 , 30, October I, 2, and 3
William Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING- directed by Terence Knapp October 28 , 29, 30, November 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7
National Theatre of Japan/ Kabuki repertoire November 12, 13
Strauss' DIE FLEDERMAUS (in English)- directed by Glenn Cannon in cooperation with the Music Department December 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, II, and 12
Hawaii Dance Theatre December 17, 18, 19
Jean Genet's DEATHWATCH*- MFA/ Randall Carney January 20, 21 , 22, 23
Young Choreographers* January 27, 28 , 29 , 30
THE ROAD TO KYOTO!- directed by James Brandon February 10, II , 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
Children's Play-directed by Tamara Hunt March I, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
THE LEGEND OF KING O'MALLEY- by Michael Boddy and Robert Ellis, directed by Dennis Carroll March 25 , 26, 31 , April I, 2, 3
W. B. Yeats' THE PLAYER QUEEN*- MFA/ Dale Ream April14, 15, 16, 17
AN EVENING OF BALLET- choreographed by Yasuki Sasa April29, 30, May 5, 6, 7, 8
Hawaii Dance Theatre May 13, 14, 15
*Kennedy Laboratory Theatre
In addition to the above scheduled events, KUMU KAHUA, an organization of drama stu dents, produces locally written plays throughout the year.