By Erin Randolph erin@dmcityview.com

In John Steinbeck's classic novel "Of Mice and Men," which takes place in California during the Great Depression, displaced migrant farm workers George and Lennie arrive at a ranch to work in order to procure enough money to buy a place of their own.

Lennie is a large, brawny man with the mind of a child (he's obsessed with the notion of caring for rabbits and loves to pet soft things). George is the small, quick-witted man who looks out for Lennie. In the Des Moines Playhouse's production of "Of Mice and Men," staged Jan. 27 through Feb. 12, Lennie is played by local actor Keith Pederson, a self-described "tall, big-boned guy," in his Playhouse debut. Though it's a challenge for Pederson to play a character portrayed by a big-name actor in the film version, it's also a challenge to get in the mindset of his childlike character.

"It's a considerable challenge because this isn't your standard acting part," Pederson says. "I am having to play the part of a child in a grown man's body. To play that kind of a role is quite a stretch, quite a challenge. It's a lot of fun, though."

Pederson, who is on the board of directors for the Ankeny Community Theater, tried out for the part of Lennie particularly because of his physical size, and because he thought it would be a great opportunity to do such a well-known play for the Des Moines Playhouse. The show's director, John Viars, has done exercises with Pederson to help him assume his childlike role.

"I have to basically picture myself as or assume the mentality of a child," Pederson says. "John Viars has done some exercises with me and the other actors that help us to think about why the character is the way he is, like listing 10 things that specifically describe Lenny and then say that's you looking from Lenny on the outside. Now you need to turn it around and understand from Lenny's perspective why you are those 10 things."

And as far as the staged version versus the film version, the script and the screenplay are pretty close. But although the events are the same, the theater is a more intimate setting, a more real setting, Pederson says.

"I have a feeling that this play is going to impact people a lot harder than the movie did, because they're going to be experiencing it live," Pederson says. "I think they're going to feel a lot closer to the characters themselves. For those who have read the book, it's probably been a long time. I think they will enjoy seeing it played out in front of them, and I think it will serve as a great reminder of how great the story is."

Stage notes

Auditions for Theater ... For a Change's upcoming production of "Copenhagen," to be performed April 21-30, will be held on Monday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Viking Theatre of Grand View College. It will involve a cold reading for the parts of one man 35-40, one man 55-plus and one woman 55-plus. No monologues necessary. Those interested in auditioning should be at the theater 15 minutes prior to fill out an information sheet. For more information, e-mail tfac@theaterforachange.com, visiting www.theaterforachange.com or by calling (888) 288-9512... StageWest has announced that the second annual Iowa Fringe Festival will be held July 20 through 23 in numerous venues throughout downtown, also expanding into East Village locations. Applications are due March 31 and will soon be available at www.stagewestiowa.com. CV

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