Cincinnati Playhouse to Present TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, one of the most popular and best-loved stories in American literature, returns to the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park for the first time in more than 20 years in a thought-provoking and visually exciting new production. Christopher Sergel's adaptation of Harper Lee's coming-of-age story will be introduced to a new generation on the Playhouse's Robert S. Marx Theatre stage from March 5 through April 3, 2016. The innovative production of the classic story, which is both timeless and timely, features the Playhouse debut of Obie Award-winning director and Associate Artist Eric Ting.

Set in Depression-era Alabama, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD follows the precocious tomboy Scout and her brother Jem during one life-changing summer. When their father, Atticus, a small-town lawyer, is called upon to defend a black man accused of a crime he didn't commit, they discover the true meaning of courage. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is a tale of innocence lost and honor found.

"This production addresses the fundamental question of why do this play now?" says Playhouse Artistic Director Blake Robison. "It's easy to draw parallels to Mockingbird in 2016. Here we are in the midst of racial strife in communities and on campuses across America. I'm excited that we'll have the chance to explore what Mockingbird means to us today, in a supposedly 'post-racial' America that is proving to be anything but."

Director Ting and his design team have opted for a storytelling approach that highlights this question. "This production of Mockingbird is not the film," Robison says. "It is not a Hallmark Hall of Fame version. Nor will we try to recreate a fully realistic facsimile of a Southern town on stage. Theatre is, after all, a more creative and evocative art form.

"Eric is imagining that, as in Our Town, the story comes to life in a bare theatre. The show is filled with the same characters, events, themes and dialogue that make it a beloved
classic. But, by placing the story in a theatre - our theatre, our own 'our town' - we highlight the simple reality that we view the story from our own contemporary vantage point. This will be a thoughtful and visually exciting approach, as our audiences have come to expect from the Playhouse."

"It's hard to imagine that a single person has escaped the story of Atticus Finch, his daughter Scout and the trial of Tom Robinson - it's a story that's become almost inseparable from the American identity, a story that confronts our great national tragedy with a dignity and idealism that is both inspiring and deeply complicated," says Ting. "Harper Lee was writing just as the Civil Rights Movement was taking hold across the country - and I see embedded in her tale a genuine call to white allies to stand up for the rights of all people; it tapped into the zeitgeist of the early '60s, and Atticus Finch became a symbol for moral integrity in a time of profound change.
"I think what's most compelling about bringing this story to the stage today," adds Ting, "is the opportunity to see it in light of recent events - at a moment that feels sadly not so dissimilar, to examine how far we've come and more importantly how far we have left to go."

When first published in 1960, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD was the rare novel that was an immediate sensation, spending a remarkable 80 weeks on the bestseller list. Since then, it has been translated into 40 different languages with more than 40 million books sold, making it one of the bestselling novels of the 20th century. The story gained even wider acclaim when Hollywood came calling quickly after the novel was published, and the 1962 film version is also considered a masterpiece. Subsequently, playwright Christopher Sergel scripted not one but two stage adaptations: It's in his revised version, which is the one being produced at the Playhouse, that we see an adult Jean Louise looking back on her own childhood.

The cast of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD includes Randy Lee Bailey (Walter Cunningham), Brooke Chamberlin (Scout), Judith Lightfoot Clarke (Maudie Atkinson), Kevin Cristaldi (Bob Ewell), R. Ward Duffy (Heck Tate), Law Dunford (Townsperson), Kenneth Early (Reverend Sykes), John Feltch (Atticus), Annie Fitzpatrick (Stephanie Crawford), Dale Hodges (Jean Louise Finch), Jared Joplin (Mr. Gilmer), Gabriel Lawrence (Tom Robinson), Zoaunne LeRoy (Mrs. Dubose), Aidan McCracken (Jem), Barry Mulholland (Judge Taylor), Serena Ryen (Townsperson), Ty Joseph Shelton (Dill), Robert Carlton Stimmel (Townsperson), Seth Wallen (Nathan Radley/Arthur (Boo) Radley), Erin Ward (Townsperson), Torie Wiggins (Calpurnia), Magan Wiles (Mayella Ewell), Renika Williams (Helen Robinson) and Lilian Wouters (Townsperson).

In addition to Ting, the creative team features Laura Jellinek (set designer), Toni-Leslie James (costume designer), Mark Barton (lighting designer) and John Gromada (sound designer/composer). Jenifer Morrow is the production stage manager, and Suann Pollock and Brooke Redler are the second stage managers.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is sponsored by Leading Ladies. American Modern Insurance Group is the design sponsor; Huntington National Bank is the artist sponsor/Scout, the Morse and Betty Johnson Family is the artist sponsor/Atticus and Barbara and Bill Weyand are the artist sponsor/director Eric Ting.

Ticket prices for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD start at $35. Prices are subject to change, and patrons are encouraged to buy early for the best seats at the best prices. The show is appropriate for adults and children ages 11 and up.

Continuing this season is the popular Sunday College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. Sunday performances priced at just $10 with a valid student ID. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show for all other performances.
Discounted ticket prices for children, teens and students are available in advance for all performances for $45 or $30, depending on seating section.

Previews for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD are at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 5; 2 p.m. Sunday, March 6; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 8; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 9. The official opening night is Thursday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays.

Free Meet the Artists programs that allow audiences to interact with the cast and others associated with TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD will be held after the following performances: 2 p.m. Sunday, March 13; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31; and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 3. Playhouse Perspectives talk-backs will be held following every other performance. Playhouse Perspectives is supported by a gift from Roderick and Barbara Barr.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD will be audio described for those with visual impairments at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 26, and signed for persons with hearing impairments at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 3. The Playhouse is fully accessible. Audio enhancement receivers, large print programs and complete wheelchair access are available.

Tickets to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD are on sale now. For more information, call the Playhouse Box Office at 513-421-3888 (toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana at 800-582-3208) or visit www.cincyplay.com. Call 513-345-2248 for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf accessibility.

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