Life In Arts Productions presents
OF MICE AND MEN
BY JOHN STEINBECK
PRODUCED BY
BENJAMIN DANIEL PHILIP
TRAVIS SCHLEGEL
KELLI LACEY
AKITORA ISHII
MEGAN MURPHY RUCKMAN
SHOW DATES: April 7th – April 22nd, 2023
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays @ 7:30pm | Sunday Matinees @ 2:30pm
VENUE: 21TEN Theatre, 2110 SE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
TICKETS: $15 General Admission | $10 students & seniors ticketing available at the door | Advance: https://life-in-arts-productions.square.site
There is no one person who is credited as The Director. This was an ensemble-based production devised using methods of Viewpoint Work, Ensemble-Based Dramaturgy & Table Work, Scene Work with blocking created in collaboration with The Ensemble, and frequent discussions that informed our exploration of what it means to tackle such a classic piece of American Literature in today’s world — as we were all drawn in as a group to come to a creative space to see what we could find in Steinbeck’s words.
The lead Production Team consisted of Benjamin Daniel Philip, Travis Schlegel, Kelli Lacey, Akitora Ishii, and Megan Murphy Ruckman — all of us working together handling the overall artistic vision while making sure we were also able to track each element of the production.
CAST:
Benjamin Daniel Philip as George
Travis Schlegel as Lennie
Ron K. Palmblad as Candy
Akitora Ishii as Slim
Chloë Duckart as Curley
Bobbi Kaye Kupfner as Curley’s Wife
Jelani Kee as Crooks
Brandon Michael as Carlson
Steve Radley as Whit
Chuck Weed as The Boss
PRODUCTION STAFF:
Artistic Director: Benjamin Daniel Philip
Production Manager: Kelli Lacey
Stage Manager: Isabella Steele
Production Assistant: Travis Schlegel
Production Assistant: Akitora Ishii
Master Carpenter: Adam Caniparoli
Scenic Designer: Kyra Sanford
Lighting Designer: Annabel Cantor
Lighting Assistant: Akitora Ishii
Live Music/Sound Design: Iris Evans
Costume Design: Kelli Lacey & Benjamin Daniel Philip
in collaboration with the Ensemble.
Props: Kelli Lacey, Isabella Steele & Kyra Sanford
in collaboration with the Ensemble
Booth Tech: Annabel Cantor
Advertising & Marketing: Benjamin Daniel Philip
Promotional Photographer: Akitora Ishii
Show Photographer: Jaren Kerr
Advising Producer: Megan Murphy Ruckman
Life In Arts Productions is proud to announce that we are returning to the stage with a brand new production. After a long hiatus, the company will present Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, opening on April 7th, 2023 at 21TEN Theatre in Portland, Oregon.
A modern American classic of page, stage, and screen, Of Mice and Men offers a meaningful examination of friendship, of the ways people are labeled and discarded because of physical or intellectual differences, of the search for a little place called home, a dream which remains now — as it did when this story was first written — out of reach for those who struggle in this society.
SHOW DATES:
Friday, April 7th @ 7:30pm
Saturday, April 8th @ 7:30pm
Sunday, April 9th @ 2:30pm
Thursday, April 13th @ 7:30pm
Friday, April 14th @ 7:30pm
Saturday, April 15th @ 7:30pm
Sunday, April 16th @ 2:30pm
Thursday, April 20th @ 7:30pm
Friday, April 21st @ 7:30pm
Saturday, April 22nd @ 7:30pm
Of Mice and Men is presented by special arrangement
with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service.
ABOUT THE SHOW: Before John Steinbeck penned The Grapes of Wrath, the 1939 epic detailing Okies and others who had been swept out West when the Dust Bowl met the Great Depression, he had drawn from his own experiences as a transient California laborer in Of Mice and Men. Originally written as a short novel with the structure of a play, Of Mice and Men was first published in 1937 and later appeared on Broadway in November of the same year. The play, which predates the Tony Awards and the Drama Desk Awards, earned the 1938 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Best Play. The play was revived on Broadway in 1974 and 2014, and film adaptations were made in 1939 and 1992.
The tale follows two field workers — the quiet, but wise George and his simple-minded friend Lennie — as they move from farm to farm looking for work. The pair have ambitions to own a farm of their own one day, but Lennie’s excessive strength and mental handicap create frequent problems for both of them, resulting in the duo losing one job after another and exhausting their savings.
Of Mice and Men was controversial at the time for its use of profanity and vivid depictions of the human suffering surrounding prejudice, mental disabilities, domestic violence and poverty. It was the issue of euthanasia, however, that resulted in the book being banned from public schools and libraries, presumably due to the emotional state of much of American society at the time. But the story of Lennie and George, offering bright hues of friendship, compassion and survival that shine through the overall darkness, helped carry the novel over the censors and into the kind of literary significance that today encourages many public schoolchildren around the world to read about them.
The show deals with the themes of hopes and dreams, loneliness, isolation, elation, and rage. All of those components, throughout history, have been relevant in describing the human condition. People who see this show will see the truth in the writing; they are going to be drawn in by the way the characters are portrayed on the stage, and by the characters themselves, by Steinbeck’s very in-depth, very fleshed-out portrayals.
John Steinbeck said it best: “Try to understand men; if you understand each other, you will be kind to each other.” This story rings true today on the importance of acceptance and understanding. Life In Arts Productions chose this piece in hopes of not only educating audiences but inspiring tolerance and compassion.
ABOUT THE COMPANY: Life In Arts Productions was founded in 2016. Seeing the need for more experimental storytelling and challenging material within the community theatre scene of Portland, as well as working to create a dialogue about the increasingly difficult realities of the world we face in the year 2023, founding members Jayne Furlong and Benjamin Philip decided to create a company that would endeavor to find socially and politically relevant material, and explore them with like-minded students of the theatre. Life In Arts Productions is committed to discovering and exploring stories and opportunities for these communities.
Founding members Jayne Furlong and Benjamin Philip are both life-long students of the arts who have been deeply involved with many community theaters throughout the Portland area. One of the many goals for Life In Arts is to create an environment in which an ensemble of actors and artists could develop different works in a variety of mediums, using the ideals of community, collaboration, and commitment in order to give power to the voice of the artist, supporting their vision from conception to production. Their inaugural production The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh opened in early 2017 to rave reviews and sold-out houses.
The inspiration behind the decision to move forward with a production of Of Mice and Men came out of several conversations, starting with Life In Arts founder Benjamin Philip and local actor Travis Schlegel. The two became aquatinted with each other over the course of two different auditions for two different plays. Benjamin nabbed a role in the first production, Travis nabbed a role in the second production, but a friendship began to blossom. Even though they had never worked together on stage, they began a conversation… a conversation that lasted throughout the pandemic, a conversation which eventually lead to the discovery that both performers had a mutual love for this play.
“Of Mice and Men was the first real scene study I did in high school and it was the first time I realized that this crazy artistic outlet was something more than just trying to remember your lines and where you’re suppose to stand while you’re on stage,” artistic director Benjamin Philip recalls. “It has stayed with me over the years, waiting for the right time, waiting for the right moment… where I would meet the Lennie to my George.”
Soon the conversation expanded to include Megan Murphy Ruckman (founding member and advising producer), Kelli Lacey (founding member and production manager), and Akitora Ishii (founding member and production assistant). Once a Production Team was in place, this dream project soon turned into a reality, and from there the community behind Life In Arts Productions was revived in order to move forward — digging into four months of pre-production, holding multiple conversations about theme and tone, and assembling an amazing team of artists and performers who would then fill all the necessary positions, the creative building blocks needed to bring this show to the stage with a minimal budget and a lot of hard work.
This production puts the resources of Life In Arts into the vision of local artists on a project aligned with Life Art’s mission, offering a deeper collaboration and more diverse community involvement for the company, the artist, and the communities they serve.
FOUNDING MEMBERS
Jayne Furlong
Benjamin Daniel Philip
Mandy Khoshnevisan
Megan Murphy Ruckman
Kelli Lacey
Beth Westbo
MISSION STATEMENT: Life In Arts Productions is committed to producing quality work that brings performing arts and education to our communities.
LIFE IN ARTS PRODUCTIONS 