If you go
› What: “Of Mice and Men”› Where: Athens Arts Center, 320 N. White St., Athens, Tenn.› When: 7:30 p.m. Today-Saturday, April 27-29› Admission: $15 adults, $10 students› For more information: 423-745-8781
Traci McKenzie read John Steinbeck's classic "Of Mice and Men," as a schoolgirl, later saw the play on Broadway and then caught the Chattanooga Theatre Centre's production. She never tires of it.
"I'm not sure how old I was when I was exposed to the story, but I thought it was beautiful. I thought it was sad how people were isolated in the Great Depression, how there were people in the same places wanting the same things but couldn't get hold of them. It made you think about life in general and how lucky we are to have one another," she says.
So when McKenzie got the chance to direct her first production at Athens Arts Center, the choice was a no-brainer.
"Of Mice and Men" wraps up two weekends of performances in the Athens, Tenn., theater today, April 27, through Saturday, April 29.
The play is a story of Lennie and George - farm workers in Depression-era California who are trying to scrape together enough money to buy a house of their own. But when Lennie stirs up trouble on the job, George must choose between protecting his friend or staying the course toward his vision of the American dream.
Jason Carusillo stars at George. Jonathan Berry plays his friend Lennie, a mentally disabled, but physically strong man who dreams of living off the "fatta the lan'."
"I think it's a classic of American literature," says McKenzie. "We've all had it land somewhere in our education as we've grown up. The friendship of George and Lenny, and the contrasts between them, shows up everywhere in pop culture."
For more information: 423-745-8781.