Sometimes dreams are all that keep us going. Sometimes friendships are all that stand between us and a lonely world. And sometimes stories leave an imprint long after the final curtain falls.
This November, City Repertory Theatre invites audiences to experience the raw emotion, gripping drama, and heartbreaking humanity of John Steinbeck’s American masterpiece, Of Mice and Men, running November 6 through November 15, 2026, in Palm Coast.
Set against the unforgiving landscape of Depression-era California, Of Mice and Men follows George and Lennie, two displaced men bound together by friendship and a seemingly simple dream – to own a little place of their own, where they can live freely and answer to no one.
George is sharp, guarded, and fiercely protective. Lennie is physically powerful but mentally vulnerable, a gentle soul whose strength often exceeds his ability to understand its consequences. Together, they cling to the hope of a better life as they move from ranch to ranch, searching for a place to belong. It is a story that asks profound questions about compassion, responsibility, and what it truly means to care for another human being.
Steinbeck’s classic was released as a novella in February 1937 and, with the book still on the bestseller charts, the author only slightly revised his original text for the work’s Broadway premiere on November 23, 1937. The stage version won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play in 1938.
Beau Wade and Jack Neiberlein star in the upcoming production as George and Lennie. Andrew Blankenship is Candy, a fellow dreamer, Danno Waddell plays Curley, the boss’ son, and Kalina Pickard is Curley’s Wife. CRT’s intimate space offers audiences the opportunity to reconnect with Steinbeck’s timeless work as live theatre, bringing all the tension, tenderness, and emotional intensity that make this story endure.
Of Mice and Men marks the debut of City Repertory Theatre’s American Classic Series. Each fall CRT will showcase “a show that isn’t often done,” says Artistic Director and Co-Founder John Sbordone. “There are really fine American playwrights of the 1920s, ’30s, ’40s and ’50s who aren’t staged anymore. And so, as long as this continues, we will try to pick a show that highlights a fine talent of its era, a play that has stood the test of time.”
All performances take place at City Repertory Theatre, 160 Cypress Point Parkway, B-207, Palm Coast. A black-box theater with just 45 seats, CRT’s space highlights the work of its talented actors while it draws the audience close to the action.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students and can be purchased at crtpalmcoast.com or through the box office at 386-585-9415.
