Everyone who hasn’t read the book or seen the movie of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” please stand up. Yes, just as we suspected — not many of you. Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning story is widely known and wildly popular.
So it’s no wonder Arizona Theatre Company is staging the play, adapted by Christopher Sergel from the novel. But that also presents a problem: Many of us have set images of the characters, whether it is from the movie or our imaginations.
Director Samantha K. Wyer and her large cast were up to the challenge. She talks to us about the story and the play.
The book: The story takes place in a small Southern town in the 1930s and is narrated by 6-year-old Scout. She tells of how her lawyer father, Atticus Finch, defends a black man, Tom Robinson, falsely accused of the rape of a white woman.
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How the play differs from the book: “The book covers three summers, and the play happens from June to October, so the play is compressed, and it takes place when Scout is 9,” said Wyer.
“There are some events that happen in the book that can’t be represented on stage — such as when Scout’s in school. The moments in the play are the ones that lift up Atticus and define what Scout learned — Boo’s (the Finch’s neighbor) house, the trial, Atticus’ shooting of the dog.
“. . . The one thing that’s important for people to know is that the voice in the book is in the play — (Scout’s) adult voice moves us through the story; it is a memory play. And a lot of the language of the book is in the play.”
The mockingbird in the title: “Atticus tells (his son) Jem that . . . it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. They just sing all day for you; they do no harm. It becomes apparent during the play that Tom Robinson does no harm, but he is shot at figuratively and metaphorically.”
The overriding themes in the play: “What struck me about the play is that it’s really about how we learn as young people. There’s that point when we learn that life isn’t fair. We have these rules, and we think if we go by the rules, everything will be OK. Scout learns that things aren’t fair, but Atticus teaches her how to persevere and be courageous. He teaches her she doesn’t have to be part of a group. ‘The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscious,’ Atticus says. And it’s the path that Atticus has taken with Tom Robinson — no matter what the community says, Atticus has done what’s right.
“Thematically, the play’s about integrity and courage.”
Why the story is set in the 1930s, instead of 1960, when it was written:
“Harper was taking on her own childhood, which happened in the ’30s. When she released it in 1960, it was right before the civil-rights movement went into full swing. Though she had set it 30 years earlier than she published it, it was painfully obvious that not much had changed, especially in the South.”
What makes Atticus so good: “He’s so imprinted in our culture; he has a gentleness and surefootedness in the face of adversity. He’s not superman by any means, and he’s not muscular, but he is an everyman who has a clear idea of how he wants to treat others and how he wants to give the knowledge to his children. He’s an icon because he has a conviction in his soul about how he feels about the world, and how to make it better that’s intoxicating.”
Preview
“To Kill a Mockingbird”
• Presented by: Arizona Theatre Company, a co-production with Kansas City Repertory Company.
• By: Christopher Sergel, adapted from the novel by Harper Lee.
• Director: Samantha K. Wyer.
• When: Previews are 8 p.m. Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday; and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Opening is 7:30 p.m. next Friday. Continues through March 22.
• Where: Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave.
• Tickets: $26-$50, with discounts available.
• Information: 622-2823.
• Cast: John Rensenhouse, Wendy Robie, Daria LeGrand, Adam Moffitt, Christopher Moffitt, James T. Alfred, Roberto Guajardo, Maedell Dixon, Mike Lawler, David Alexander Johnston, Bruce Nelson, Cale Epps, Tamika Lawrence.
• Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, with one intermission.
• Good deals: Tickets for children 6 to 18 are half off for preview tickets when a full-price adult ticket is purchased to the same performance (mention “Kid” when making purchase).
Half-price student rush tickets are available to students with a valid student ID one hour prior to the start of every performance, providing seats are available. One ticket per person. Maximum one half-price ticket per valid ID.
Tuesday is Ten Dollar Tuesday. Balcony seats for the preview are a suggested donation $10. Tickets must be purchased in cash at the ATC box office starting at 11 a.m. They are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Maximum two tickets per person.
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