Beck Center For The Arts Youth Theater Produces MOCKINGBIRD

Beck Center for the Arts Youth Theater is pleased to produce Mockingbird. This limited engagement runs February 28 through March 8, 2020 in the Studio Theater. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $12 for adults, and seniors, and $10 for students (18 and under). Group and student discounts are available. Tickets are on sale now.

Mockingbird is based on National Book Award-winning novel by Kathryn Erksine, and adapted for the stage by playwright Julie Jensen. The story follows Caitlin, an 11-year-old girl on the autism spectrum. Already struggling to make friends and fit in at school, she now has a new hardship to overcome: the loss of her brother, the only person who understood her. Caitlin must grieve and try to understand those around her without her brother's guidance. Through her eyes, the audience joins Caitlin on a journey to discover that not everything is black and white; the world is full of colors.

Director Sarah Clare says, "We can learn a lot from Caitlin's difficulties in trying to communicate with those around her. Erksine's story reminds us that empathy for others begins by opening up our hearts and listening without judgement. My hope is that the show will open up a dialogue for families, not just about school shootings, or autism, but about any topic or issue that they may be grappling with."

We will have Post-Show Talk Backs on March 1 and March 8. These will take place directly after the end of the performance, in the theater space, for a half hour. Please visit beckcenter.org for details.

Ed Boyte, a facilitator, mediator, and employee ombudsman at Cleveland Clinic Akron General will moderate Post-Show Talk Backs with the audience at the conclusion of the performance on March 1 and March 8. He was previously assistant director of the Cleveland Mediation Center where he mediated hundreds of community, family, business, and organizational disputes, and taught mediation, conflict resolution, divorce mediation and domestic abuse issues for family mediators for the Ohio Supreme Court. This Post-Show Talk Back will be an engaged discussion that encourages thought and reflection. Not just a reflection on the staging of the production but what can propel the audience forward when reflecting on the overarching topic. Mr. Boyte has played a role with the hospital's work with diversity and inclusion. They have become the first non-pediatric hospital recognized as autism friendly. For more details please visit https://www.wksu.org/post/akron-general-designated-autism-friendly-adult-hospital.

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