The Rehearsal

'There was something deadening about performing inside the concrete walls of the theatre. All along he felt something was missing. In this barn they can take Of Mice and Men further - where, he isn't quite sure, but finding out will be half the fun. It can't hurt to try.' In the spring of 1971 Will Bartlett, ambitious director of a small resident theatre, decides to invite the cast of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men to his farm for a month, giving them the opportunity to 'become' their characters. But he could not have predicted that his wife and daughter would be drawn into the ensemble, threatening fragile family ties. When one of the actresses fails to turn up, Will's wife, Myra, takes the role, although she has not been on stage since their daughter Beth was born. Sixteen-year-old Beth is furious, having decided the part should be hers. While Will remains oblivious to the tension in his family, as well as the increasing distance between himself and his wife, the other actors find themselves drawn into a complex tangle of relationships, leading them to question not only how well they know one another, but also how well they know themselves.