I spent an hour on Monday helping to serve dinner to cast and crew members of North High’s upcoming production of the Steinbeck classic Of Mice and Men.
And let me tell you, it was a scruffy looking cast, with every third guy sporting a substantial stubble. “For the role,” as they say in Hollywood.
But while those cast members had to avoid the razor for a couple of weeks, senior Tanous El-Kareh had to submit to it. Sylvi Re, the head of makeup and costumes, shaved the top of his head in an effort to create an aged look for his character, The Boss.
The play will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 30 and May, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 2, in the school’s Clarence Johnson Auditorium.
The production is inspired by the Federal Theater Project of the 1930s, said director Demetrios Pappageorge, an English and drama teacher at the school. The FTP used federal money to put labor-theater groups to work, and the result was often a bare-bones style.
In addition to performing the challenging script, which includes strong language and situations of racism and violence, students will confront the demands of building sets out of crates, blankets and planks while the show progresses.
The show is also a culminating event for U.S. History and sophomore English classes, which study the Great Depression and Steinbeck’s controversial novel. Students in these classes will see the play as an in-school field trip on Friday morning.
We felt like we were at Steppenwolf, watching this amazing production. Couldn’t believe the actors were HS kids — it was that good. And the Depression-style set and lobby display recounting that era were fascinating. A great evening of theater.