Mainstage to Perform 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

Mainstage Center for the Arts will present a stage adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird next month at its Camden County College home.

Evening performances will be Feb. 3, 4, 10 and 11. There will also be three discounted matinee performances for schools and other groups.

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird soared to the top of the bestseller lists upon its 1960 release. The groundbreaking tale of racial injustice remains relevant today with messages of tolerance, justice, dignity and courage.

To Kill A Mockingbird takes audiences to sleepy Macomb, AL, where Depression-era siblings Jem (Aidan Meagher, 13, of Audubon) and Scout Finch (Emily Moore, 11, of Sewell), along with their friend Dill (Michael Schaffner, 11, of Mantua), witness a tense tug-of-war between justice and racism in their community.

The story’s told from the perspective of 8-year-old Scout, whose widowed father, Atticus (Tim Rinehart, of Cherry Hill), defends Tom Robinson (Steven Bryan, of Philadelphia), a black man framed for a crime he didn’t commit.

Bob Ewell (Tom Guzzi, of Pitman) claims Robinson attacked his daughter, Mayella (Samantha Maronne, of South Philadelphia).

Guzzi and Maronne are double cast in this Mainstage production, also portraying Sheriff Heck Tate and Miss Maudie Attkinson, respectively.

Scout and Jem endure hostility from friends and discover hypocrisy and outrageous attitudes of adults in this coming of age story.

This compelling production is directed by Chris Melohn, 2010 Perry Award winner for Outstanding Direction of a play. His most recent work with Mainstage Center for the Arts was co-directing 13, The Musical, in June 2011 along with Kevin Hurley. The pair is teamed up again in To Kill A Mockingbird, with Hurley as assistant director and stage manager.

“When working with a stage adaptation of a powerful novel like To Kill A Mockingbird, I always go back to the original text to see if I can incorporate anything left out from the book to give the show more depth,” said Melohn.

“This is a story with a lot of depth,” continued Melohn. “I believe its messages are still relevant. For instance, I teach in a charter school that’s 98 percent African American. It makes me wonder how much progress we’ve actually made. And, the show educates about much more than racial discrimination. It’s all about connections between people, being nice to others no matter their social status, education or differences from you. Those are the lessons Atticus was trying to instill in his children. He really was a man ahead of his time, and modeled after Lee’s own father."

The young actors in To Kill A Mockingbird are glad to have the opportunity to portray Atticus’ children

“I’m very excited to play Scout. Acting, singing and dancing are the things I like to do best,” said Moore, who has participated in Mainstage Center for the Arts’ Summer Stage program for three years. “Since the book is often read by older students, I had never heard of it. But, it’s really important and I’m happy to have this opportunity. Our director helps me out a lot. He explains things to me so I get it right.”

Meagher, whose credits include playing Ben in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, also speaks highly of Melohn: “He’s very encouraging and supportive. I feel comfortable working with him because I worked with him in the past. I believe acting is a great way to express yourself and it’s fun getting to know the other cast members. This show is unlike the musicals I’ve been in because there’s a constant dialogue. I like the change.”

The cast also includes Toni Richards, of Camden, who plays Calpurnia, the Finch family's cook, and Dan Hickey, of Marlton, who portrays their neighbor, Mr. Cunningham.

Mainstage Center for the Arts’ To Kill a Mockingbird, sponsored by Comegno Law Group P.C., runs Feb. 3, 4, 10 and 11 at 8 p.m. in the newly-renovated, fully accessible Dennis Flyer Theatre, inside Lincoln Hall at Camden County College.

Ticket prices are $18 or $21 for adults and $15 for senior citizens and students under 12. To order tickets, visit www.mainstage.org or call 856-227-3091.

For more information about three discounted matinee performances for schools and other groups, please call 609-405-0306.