To Kill a Mockingbird
Dramatized by Christopher Sergei
from the book by Harper Lee
October 12–28
Directed by Harry Friedman
GLCT is thrilled to re-create the first production mounted in its Old Town venue. Set in Depression era Alabama, this faithful adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, as told through the eyes of a child, deals with the themes of dignity, tolerance and a father's love for his children.
Tickets $13 for adults, $10 for seniors (65+) and juniors (under 18).
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Twelve years ago, Tim Dawson, Lynn Addington and I went to see about doing a play in a small church located at 160 West Main Street in Old Town Lewisville. At the time, the Greater Lewisville Community Theatre had no permanent home and the expectation was that if we could work out an arrangement with this church, then this venue could possibly offer some stability for the 13 year old company that was still known to some as Poco Mas Players. Tim and I looked around at the church’s large community room, the small pulpit, and the built in heated baptistery and the low ceiling and declared that we could never do a play in the space because it was just too inadequate. Lynn encouraged us to think “outside of the box” and try and conceive of a way that we could make this space work. Well, I am happy to say that Tim, myself and an army of volunteers stuck with it and the play did indeed work, in fact it was a huge success. The play was “To Kill a Mockingbird” and you are now sitting in that too, too inadequate space, and I have never been happier to be so wrong. |
The changes that have taken place over the last 12 years have resulted in a permanent theatre space for GLCT that has helped spur growth and development in Lewisville’s Old Town and provide welcome stability for a small community theatre that now celebrates its 25th birthday. It seems only appropriate that you can now stand on Main Street directly outside of the theatre’s stage door and have a perfect view of Old Town Lewisville’s centerpiece, the beautiful new Town Hall. It is also amazing that so many years after it was written, the poignant story of Atticus, Scout, and Tom Robinson is so relevant. Who could have known that in the year that marks the 50th anniversary of the “Little Rock Nine” we would see nooses on a tree in Jena, Louisiana? Prejudice and persecution continue to scar our society. We still have a lot to learn, and we would all do well to heed Harper Lee’s simple request that we try and “walk around in another person’s skin” for a while in order to really get to know them. If we all simply treated each other with the same dignity and respect that we ourselves would wish to be treated, then perhaps the type of divide we still find ourselves facing would not exist. It is my great honor to once again bring this classic American story to the Lewisville stage, and I hope it leaves you with a sense of what we might accomplish if we all work together to break down those barriers that tend to keep us apart. Please enjoy the show. Harry R. Friedman |
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