“I’ve never acted a day in my life,” said Drew Brathwaite. “I’ve been tooling around Hole in the Wall (HITW) for seven years now (as a patron). A friend of mine who has worked with the theater invited me to Of Mice & Men auditions. I got cast which completely blew my mind.”
In a few weeks, Drew will take the stage in John Steinbeck’s stage adaptation of his literary classic. He plays Crooks, a field hand but relegated to his space on the side of the ranch. “He is the only black guy there,” said Drew. “He has a very separate relationship from everyone else.”
Drew also explained that Crooks got his unusual name when he was hit in the back when he was younger. That left him with a crooked back. “We never really know his real name,” he said.
Crooks also has a direct relationship with principal character, Lenny. “Crooks is a little jealous of Lenny’s ability of living outside of the stresses of being lonely,” said Drew. “He antagonizes Lenny to get him to understand how he feels. His relationship with him is very utilitarian.”
Diving into rehearsals has been foreign territory for Drew. He spends most of his time observing and processing the work of his fellow actors. “The people (here) are really good at what they do and are very interested in doing a good job…..I can’t think of something more out of my wheel house than acting. At first, I thought it was projected imagination. It is a lot different than that. I find it to be more visceral and personal than I expected.”
Come see Drew when Of Mice & Men opens on Friday, September 25th. Performances run Fridays & Saturdays from September 25th through October 17th with one Sunday matinee on October 11th. Of Mice & Men is under the direction of Jill Ann Dvorsky. Tickets are $20.00 (general admission) and $15.00 (students and seniors). They can be purchased at the door and online at www.hitw.org. The October 2nd performance will be our Pay-What-You-Can performance where you name the price of your ticket.