Today, we had the first ever "School Matinee" at the Banshee. Two English classes came from a local highschool for a morning of Steinbeck. They snickered at inappropriate moments, dropped brownie crumbs on our floors, and generally were... well, highschool students. But, during the Q&A after the show, they asked some intelligent questions (and some that only Steinbeck could answer from beyond the grave).
Many students have come to see Of Mice & Men, whether it's been for extra credit or because their parents made them, and it seems that all of them have enjoyed themselves immensely. They cringe when the gun is fired, groan when the puppy ends up dead, and occasionally sob at the end. One of them even said, "Oh, shit," one night when Lennie mentioned that his puppy was dead. You've gotta love live theatre.
And after the show's over? They swarm the stage, take pictures on the set, and swoon over the slightly-perplexed actors. This is the first crowd I've seen ask for autographs. Mark was even accosted at the bar one night, when a swarm of adoring girls found him there.
All in all, I couldn't be happier with the interest they've shown. After all, our box office has done better for this show than the last two combined! And what does that mean? It means we get to do another show! Year of the Hiker by John B. Keane is coming up in July. But, we still have two weeks of Mice left, so bring on the students. We've got plenty of brownies left.
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