What Crooks Wants

Crooks doesn't say much but when she does you should listen. There is a line she says "A girl need somebody to be near her. A girl goes crazy if she ain't got nobody." I think the defining point of her character is all in a paragraph. She just wants what everyone else on the planet wants: a place to belong and have someone around to rely on and love.

The Boss......

First of all, the boss is a fair man. He tries to give back small rewards to the men who work hard for him and are dependable. This could come in the form of a kind word or a bottle of whiskey at Christmas or an extra ration of food or canned goods. He is a compassionate man, in the fact that he keeps Candy on at the ranch, even though Candy has lost a hand after an accident at the ranch. He feels responsible for taking care of Candy because he knows no one will hire him because he is crippled and getting along on age. He tries to be a friend, when it is possible, to those who are faithful and hard workers. You do not want to cross him, as his punishment comes swift and harsh. It is a time of desperation for many men of this great depression and the Boss feels grateful to have his position of running the ranch in such hard times.

The Boss has seen many men come and then move on, as they try to find better work out west to help support their families. He's also seen many fast talkers, who try to take pay for as little work as possible and win as many poker games as they can take from fellow workers and then moving on to the next job, the next town, the next life.

So, what do I feel is the line that defines the character of the Boss? He tells George when they first meet and he's getting ready to leave...."Don't try to put nothing over on me, because you're not going to get away with nothin! I seen wise guys before." If you're straight with the boss, he will be fair in his dealings with you. If you're lazy and try to fool him, you'll "bounce down the road on your can!"  Don't mess with the Boss!

-Mike Winterholler

What would Whit give for Christmas?

During the holidays I think we all, at some point, take a moment to assess our lives. Of Mice and Men is all about relationships and what they mean, how they motivate and how they change us. I've had some time to ponder about my personal relationships. I think about one of our family traditions. On Christmas day, we open gifts one at a time, taking turns. We give each gift and each person a moment of appreciation. I feel like the structure of the show does this beautifully. Interwoven within are sacred moments of friendship, passed turn by turn, allowing just enough time for appreciation. As you are sat down in the audience, you begin to open up and discover these friendships alongside the characters. You learn the value of acceptance and of the harm that stems from being judgmental or impatient. In my role, I have many unspoken relationships with other characters. I asked myself, "What would Whit give ________ for Christmas?" The answers range from sentimental gifts to monetary gifts to socks. And we certainly all have that friend that we don't quite know well enough so we just give him a gift card. But in asking myself this question, I have been able to really ascertain an idea of what level I'm on with these people. There are characters that I've began to see my relationship with as superficial. I've come to understand that my character just doesn't have much of a story with some individuals. I've also had to decide that if I were to give any character that "I went all out on this" gift, who would it be? How do I portray our relationship to suggest that chemistry? And to go full circle, I've been able to think about those friends outside of the proscenium. How can I be a better friend? How can I help them to see my appreciation for them? The wonder of this play is that it really can teach you a lot about yourself, or can help you to do so. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be involved in a show with such talented and wonderful individuals. I suppose I may have gotten a little long-winded but if nothing else, this entry helped me to put some things into perspective. Have a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever it is that floats your boat this time of year.

-Tom Crozier

Tony Mannen's inaugural blog post - and it's a good one!

Reflections on my character---Candy.

As a lot of people grow older they tend to, for one reason or another, run out of “life”. Loss of family, friends, “joie pour la vie”, or a favorite pet, tends to cause a lot of older folks to give up on living. Candy is one of these people…..until George and Lennie arrive and give him hope for something to live for.

Candy has been dealt a bad hand (sorry about that) and sees no hope for a future. “I ain’t got no place to go, and I can’t get no more jobs” reflects part of his bleak anticipation for a future. He also says…"they says he ain’t no good to himself nor nobody else….they won’t shoot me like that…I wish they would.” WOW, talk about no hope!

Enter George and Lennie and the place George has all picked out. For the first time in many years Candy has something and someone to live for. “We got friends…that’s what we got” is Candy’s declaration of independence from the depression, both in the country and within himself.

I like Candy. I think his heart is in the right place.

Thank you Mr. Steinbeck!

- Tony Mannen

Daniel Gardner's Perspective

In this RAT players production of “Of Mice and Men” I have the honor of playing Lennie.  To me this play is about love. Love comes in many different forms and for George and Lennie that love is friendship. In 2014 many of us may be aware of what ASD is. The autism awareness spectrum, according to nih.gov is one of a distinct group of complex neuro-development disorders characterized by social impairment, communication difficulties, and restrictive, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. It is these kinds of behaviors that are written into the character of Lennie. With today’s technology we have the ability to help children and it is reported that 1 in 88 children are born with ASD.

In the 1930’s people were treated very differently. Lennie is called names like crazy, loon and dumb. Even worse people like Lennie would be put into “crazy houses” and treated with shock therapy or have brain surgery. George, knowing this, stays with Lennie and takes care of him because he knows nobody else will. He sees than Lennie is becoming worse and uncontrollable and he doesn't have the heart to do anything about it. Love/friendship is sometimes giving up your happiness to make the one you love happy.

This show is very powerful, and getting into character and doing the research is very draining yet rewarding. I feel honored and blessed to get to work with such passionate and amazing people. The respect this cast has for each other is crazy. This is not an easy show, and I am truly blessed that everyone around me is making me better especially Jud Harmon playing George. The chemistry between George and Lennie in this show is very important. I am so lucky that Jud was one of my best friends before this show started and it allows me to be more comfortable with him and help me as an actor.

The reason this show is a classic is because it’s a story that tells us something that 80 years after it was written is still important. Everyone needs friends; everyone needs people who are just like them who they can feel safe and comfortable around. Crooks, Candy, George and Lennie find that. Even if it’s a brief moment in their lives, it is a beautiful moment. That time even if it was short in your life that you had a purpose that you had people that cared about you, and you had something to live for. That’s what keeps me going.

-Daniel Gardner

Seve Isaacs' favorite moment

My favorite scene in this show is the confrontation between Lennie and Curley; specifically the moment after everyone leaves and George and Lennie are left in the bunkhouse. Lennie is obviously shaken and disturbed by what just happened (the way any kid who has done such a thing would feel), and George, while worried about getting fired and Lennie getting in trouble and everything else that goes along with his role as protector and guardian to Lennie, shows more concern for Lennie's emotional well-being. The way that Jud and Daniel have been playing this scene in rehearsal is so emotional and shows a strong connection between the two characters that just gets you in the gut. It's moments like that that remind me why I love the theatre and have devoted over half of my life to it.

-Seve Isaacs

Jud Harmon's favorite moment.

My favorite moment in this show takes place in Act 2 Scene 1. The character of George Milton is describing a place that he knows of and what it would be like to live there. Every time I read this scene or am given the privilege of acting in it I am humbled by the simplicity of George’s vision. It is such a small thing that he speaks of; a tiny sliver of land, a small house with a stove, a few bits of flora and fauna, and a windmill. He is so clear in what he wants and by modern standards it is so very little. It is this clarity and sparseness that moves me so deeply. George makes it clear that, in the long run, it is not the THINGS that mean so much to him. It is not the THINGS that drive him toward this goal and vex him when it cannot be reached. It is the peace that he feels he will find there; the peace that comes from freedom, the peace that comes from choice, the peace that comes from just being there. One part of the responsibility that comes with being a performer is occasionally holding a mirror up to your audience and allowing them to see who they are in an attempt to teach them something. This lesson that George has taught me is one I hope to impart on our audience. Once in a while take the time to just be. In the long run that truly is enough.

-Jud Harmon 

Reflections from Patrick Rexroat (playing Slim)

The more time I spend in rehearsal, and with the Of Mice and Men crew, the more I think about friendship, and what that really means inside the walls of the theater and beyond. In particular, Jud (who plays George) and I have a scene together that I've been thinking about quite a bit. In the scene, Slim asks George about the nature of his relationship with Lennie. George slowly opens up to Slim, and towards the end of the conversation, he gives a harrowing account of hiding from an angry lynch mob, with Lennie, half-submerged in an irrigation ditch.

I mention this scene in particular because I'm struggling with it. Slim doesn't appear to do much after a certain point in the conversation, and a cynical person could say that he is just there to move the story along, to give George a reason to divulge the escalating concern that he is having about Lennie. But that would be a terribly self-defeating angle for me to do the scene from as an actor, so I mentioned my problem to Jud in passing after a recent rehearsal. To paraphrase, he responded by asking me to think about the way that my character would be affected, just hearing and considering George's perspective -- that this guy would be willing to suffer through something horrible for a true friend that he probably wouldn't suffer for a blood relative on a good day.

What is it that might make us shiver sopping wet with a friend in an irrigation ditch? Something like love? I don't know that there's a truly accurate word for it, but I think we all understand it. I think Slim understands it, and I like to think that it drives most of his action in the play -- as I'm learning about him, he seems to act in order to serve these unspoken understandings in the ways he best sees fit. Even when he agrees that the elderly Candy should let his beloved and decrepit old dog be shot, it seems to be with the understanding that letting go would be the best thing Candy could do for his friend. He seems to understand the idea that to have something, you must eventually lose that something.

On the very first night of rehearsal, as a relative outsider, I was immediately struck by the obvious bonds of friendship that the members of our cast have with each other (and maybe more than a little jealous that they all get to study and work together at CSI most days). It's a really nice feeling -- the feeling of being part of something special, and the best part of this production for me so far has been having the opportunity to get to know the other cast members and to spend time with the ones I already know. I know I'm not the first to say it, and I surely won't be the last, but it really is a talented group of people, with a lot of natural chemistry onstage and off. In my mind, it's still very early in the process, and we've already made some cool discoveries. I'm excited thinking about what the finished product might look like.

This is my second RAT show (I also played Jedediah and a slew of other characters in The Laramie Project, in 2008? 2009?...I think), and I hope it's not my last. Ultimately, every show will close, and I'll have these weird pangs of regret and longing as I walk out of the fine arts building for the last time in January to not see all of these cool people nearly as much as I'd like, but that's theatre, yeah? Moment to moment. Very much like the lives of the characters in Of Mice and Men. Very much like our lives today, all of the time. To have something, you must eventually lose that something.

It's not a sad thing. It's just a thing. And in this moment, it's awesome.

-Patrick Rexroat - Playing Slim

George Milton - Played by Jud Harmon

I have been given the honor of playing George Milton in our production of “Of Mice and Men” and I must confess that I am thrilled to have been given this part. When RAT chose to start performing shows that we consider to be American Classics I knew that this would involve some fabulous pieces of literature but of all the authors we have brought to the stage John Steinbeck is one of my favorite. This love of Steinbeck has led to excitement and a fair amount of fear as I work my way through this script. This script is so human and within this humanity Steinbeck shows us that when you have such a strong connection to what it is to be human there is no need for lofty language or grandeur. Simple and understated is how this story is to be told and that is what gives this story its power. That is where I find myself struggling as a performer. It is a common tendency for an actor to want page long monologues that allow you to spill your soul onto the stage in an attempt to show the audience who you are. Steinbeck knows better. He knows that the same result can be accomplished with a few sentences. It is my job to simply stand aside and let this magnificent work of art unfold. There is no need for me to lead it but rather step out of the way and follow the path that it lays before me. So, that is what I intend to do. We have a remarkable cast in place for this show and it is a privilege to be among them while we work. I can guarantee that this will be some of our finest work and a show that is not to be missed. I hope that you are all able to come and see this show and experience the joy, the sadness, and the truth the John Steinbeck has given us all.

-Jud Harmon

A character caught in the middle - Whit

In researching my character I have come to think the world is the same as it was in 1930 because of the variety of people in it. I don't think there has been a large paradigm shift in human nature. Understandably, some may disagree with this point in light of what they perceive. My character, Whit, for example, is living between two extremes. He works daily with the rough men on the ranch and spends his weekends at the parlor house, meanwhile positive examples like George, Crooks and Slim are ever present to the impressionable Whit. He's rough around the edges, but there are a few times that his goodness becomes apparent.

I don't think my character appreciates confrontation. When the issue of putting down Candy's dog arises, Whit attempts to veer the conversation elsewhere without openly making a statement or disagreement with the insistent Carlson. Perhaps he doesn't always do the right thing, but I think that he does his best to be a help to his friends.

Returning to the issue of human nature, I believe this sets up a few archetypal examples. There are some who are generally innocent of wrong or victims of circumstance (George and Candy), there are aggressive types who seek mainly their own agenda (Carlson and Curley) and there are many in the world caught in between the two.  (Whit).

I won't explore any idea of good and evil while comparing 1930 and today because I don't feel that's my place. But while those who may be disagreeable generally speak the loudest with their insistent and tenacious cries, there are many out there who quietly go about trying to make the best decisions they can. I believe the way we feel about the world lies in who we observe the most. If we look for negative examples, we certainly will find plenty. But if, like in this show, you look for the qualities of understanding and mercy, you will surely find them, and may be edified by the good that does still exist.

-Tom Crozier

Meet Tim Hafer - Playing Curley

Hello world this is my official first blog post! I am Timothy Hafer III, I have had an obsession with the dramatics arts ever since I was able to make videos on my dad's camera. I'm hoping my acting abilities have evolved a bit from then with my Associate's degree in Theatre from CSI and the plethora of plays, I have gained stage experience from. This is my second RAT production and I am glad they let me back in for a round two, with these amazing people.

 I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for this play. The first rehearsal in which we did our first read through was jaw dropping in terms of the amount of talent that burst out of that room. I have the honor of playing Curley. Everyone's first thought of this character is that he's the ranch operator's son so he can get away with anything because "his daddy's in charge." Curley has been a tough character for me to relate to as a person. I consider myself a nice person and very modest in what I think about every situation. From reading the novel and the script, it is clear that Curley will always speak what is on his mind and wants to dominate the conversation to get what he wants out of it. Curley has this dominant personality that I would equate to a welsh corgi, they are a very dominant and vicious dog when you enter its territory without its permission, but they have the height of about a foot off the ground; so that intimidation factor they try to get out doesn't get respected as much as it should.

A few things that always come up whenever other characters are talking about Curley are that he's a little guy and that he hates big fellas.  One way I found to relate to this was that when I was growing up, I was always the short kid in the class.  I had very few class mates that I was taller than and I would get picked on because of that. A common phrase that was used was, "Tiny Tim," you've just got to love children and their use of alliteration. From what I've taken from Steinbeck is that maybe Curley was picked on back as a child by those bigger than him, but he decided to get back at them by a more violent route.  Curley definitely makes up for his size in his ability to fight and I think he gained respect and more likely fear of those around him more and more by bringing those bigger than him down to size.

-Tim Hafer

Meet Taia Stevens - Playing Crooks

  I am Taia Stevens. I am 17 and the youngest member of this great cast. I caught the drama bug when I was 7.

  One thing I have always been passionate about was not being type cast. I want to be different and break boundaries. I was a bit hesitant about auditioning for Crooks, that is until I read the book. I fell in love with the strength of the character. I relate to Crooks being an outcast (who doesn't) yet want someone to be around. Who also doesn't love and being treated differently because of their body and skin.

  You could say the thing that attracted me most about Crooks is his subtle input into the story that sort of changes the feel. The character isn't there much but when he is it impacts the reader or viewer in a strong way.

  To say I am excited is an understatement. I am thrilled to add a another female perspective on this classic Steinbeck play and character

-Taia Stevens

Meet Seve Isaacs - Playing Carlson

Hey everyone! My name is Seve Isaacs and I am playing the role of Carlson in "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. I have been the theatre teacher at Canyon Ridge High School for the last three years where I have directed over a dozen productions already. To date I have acted in over 20 different plays, including as Oedipus in Oedipus Rex and as Father Flynn in Doubt. I earned a bachelor's degree in theatre education from Brigham Young University - Idaho. This is my first RAT show and I am very excited to be working with these talented individuals.

I am playing Carlson in this production. Carlson is a ranch hand working on the ranch that George and Lennie end up on after their mix-up in Weed. Carlson is a friendly fellow, really, but he comes off as a bit abrasive at times. He loves telling jokes and funny stories from his life and works hard for this ranch. I'm excited to bring this character to life for you!

-Seve Isaacs

Why bring "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck to the stage? Written by Shane Brown

“The ancient commission of the writer has not changed. He is charged with exposing our many grievous faults and failures, with dredging up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams for the purpose of improvement.

Furthermore, the writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man's proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit - for gallantry in defeat - for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally-flags of hope and of emulation.

I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man, has no dedication nor any membership in literature.”

                                    John Steinbeck—Nobel Prize for Literature acceptance speech, 1962

What is the benefit of delving into a tragedy? Why read, study, and discuss a work such as Antigone, Hamlet, or A Streetcar Named Desire? Isn't there enough pain and struggling in the world without bringing it into our artistic and intellectual lives?

Why bring Of Mice and Men to the stage?

This question has been put to me innumerable times in my career as a teacher of theater and literature, and as a director. Why should a fictional tragedy occupy a place in our lives? My response: tragedy is uplifting. It is about the triumph of the human spirit. Tragedy is inevitable and unavoidable; bad things, outside our control, happen to us all. What proves our humanity is not the tragedy itself, but how we react to the tragedy. Does the tragedy make us recoil and withdraw; does it ignite the all-consuming flame of anger and revenge? Or do we confront tragedy with “courage, compassion and love”?  Antigone institutes change, Hamlet discovers what it means “to be,” and Blanche helps us remove the Chinese lanterns we all use to hide our own light, if only for a couple of hours.

Steinbeck’s play, set firmly in the Great Depression, pushes its audience to confront the nature of tragedy—that it often comes from circumstances beyond our control. What we do control, is the manner in which we choose to live within those circumstances. In the opening scene the protagonist, George, is presented with a clear choice: to remain with Lennie, or abandon him. Every single day George chooses to stay with and care for Lennie, sacrificing the fulfillment of his selfish desires. Steinbeck’s play reflects a world of transient existence and ephemeral dreams; a rootlessness and profound lack of hope exists, wherein men wander aimlessly and alone. Slim tells George: “Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.” But Lennie knows the truth: “And I got you. We got each other. That’s what, that gives a hoot in hell about us.” George’s choice for compassion, and Lennie’s innocence, raises them, and anyone who wants to be a part in their dream, above the tragedy.

This is the approach of our production, to not wallow in the mire of tragedy, but to revel in the triumph of the human spirit. Our production will make you laugh, and maybe drop a tear or two, but you will come away feeling uplifted. George and Lennie know that life is made richer by choosing not to walk alone, to help carry the burdens of others as we travel down the same road, if only for a little while. 

-Director, Shane Brown