Fall Play Preview: To Kill A Mockingbird

Bethany’s 2012-2013 theatre season is just around the corner. As the fall sports season is nearing its end, many students are switching gears to prepare for the upcoming play production. As many already know, this year’s show will be To Kill A Mockingbird, a piece based on a classic novel written by Harper Lee. Published in 1960, the novel gained immediate acclaim and was adapted as a play by Christopher Sergel in 1990.

The plot follows the events that occur in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Told through the voice of a 9 year old girl, Scout Finch, this story depicts the lessons that Scout learns about people and life over the course of several years. As well as illustrating themes such as community, morality, and growing up, the drama also brings attention to serious social issues such as rape and racism.

There were various reasons why To Kill A Mockingbird was chosen. The play requires a large cast, a lot of male roles in particular, and there is a lot of theater interest in the current student body. More importantly, as Director Talashia Keim Yoder says, “our…students would be unafraid to dig in to the many layers of the production, and would have the ability to empathize and be creative.” She comments that the current students are mature enough to handle the sensitive, serious, and complex message that the story delivers.

An important focus in depicting this piece is illustrating the concept of “grayness.” None of the roles are simply “black” or “white;” every character is multi-dimensional. In the story, Scout realizes that racism prevails in her community but also discovers that even the most racist members are still human. Through such stories the play will make sure to bring out the “gray areas” of life. Everyone has bias towards certain issues in some way or the other, and the play will make sure to convey this to the audience as the cast confronts it.

Incorporation of music is another unique aspect of this production. Using music in transitions between the scenes helps dramatically in changing the mood, which helps both the audience and the actors to engage in the story. However this does not mean that it will be a musical; as Talashia commented, music will “support the action of the play,” whereas in musicals it would be equally as important as the action of the story.

The audition for the role of Scout Finch was held three Fridays ago. It was open for both high school and middle school students, in a search to find an actress that would bring out the characteristics of a young girl. Gabriella Klopfenstein (‘18) was cast for the role; the casting directors noted that they “made [the decision] based on the kind of Scout [they think] will best serve [their] vision for the whole play.” Audition for the remaining characters will be held Wednesday, September 19th through Thursday, September 20th. Performances are November 16th through 18th.

~Ming Woo