Erni Johnson

The First and Final Performance of the New Provincetown Players Erni Johnson

Grace's life has not gone the way she planned; her pursuit of a college degree in theater studies and subsequent career in this field has been less than rewarding, and her failed romance with a Columbia professor and Broadway director another reflection of what she perceives as her own inadequacies. Now, finding herself alone in the world, she sets out to fulfill her mother, Leanne's last wish by bringing a sealed letter to a long lost friend in Provincetown, MA. Despite her efforts to avoid any emotional commitment, Grace finds herself drawn in by her mother's old friend, Jenny, and the cast of characters who populate Jenny's existence, as well as her so-called "bed and breakfast." Then there is Jimmy, the grown son of Jenny and Leanne's other close friend, Julia, who returned home to raise his stepbrother, Christian, now 17. When Grace arrives in Provincetown, Christian is attempting to save his failing English grade by writing and producing a play based on Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, his assignment being to present a piece of "classic literature" in a modern, relevant form. Meanwhile Jenny's memories slowly unfold, following the relationship of the three friends (Jenny, Julia, and Leanne) from their teenage years through their young adulthood, ultimately focusing on a life-changing decision they made; one which now affects not only Jenny as the sole survivor of the close-knit trio, but also Jimmy, Christian, Grace, and the rest of the current "Provincetown Players." Is it possible that while we may not always follow our dreams, the choices we make may ultimately make us far more content? Or is it the connection we make with others that in the end, as Steinbeck suggests, is the only reality?