To Kill A Mockingbird Theatre Adaptation Essay

How can violence, civil rights and the court of law be brought to life on the stage? The theatre adaption of 'To Kill a Mockingbird', adapted by Christopher Sergel and written by Harper Lee answers this call effectively. Although the small stage may be somewhat abstract, with wooden poles hanging down from the stage, the rest of the plot stays somewhat true to the original book. To Kill a Mockingbird tells the tale of a young African-American man, Tom, on trial for a rape he did not commit, in Macomb, a small 1930's American town in the state of Alabama. Tom's lawyer, Atticus Finch and his young children, Scout and Jem, are the central characters in the play. The play is narrated by their neighbor Miss Maudy which is an interesting turn from the book, in which it is narrated by Scout.
This comes in the form of Atticus' 9 year old daughter, Scout. Her character is a very vocal one, and often provides the audience and other characters with her opinion. This trait also subtly provides the viewers with another theme: how this all looks like from a child's perspective. But no performance is without challenge towards the actors. Having to perform in a 1930s Alabaman setting, the accents had to be presented. They say the Golden Rule of Hollywood is to never work with animals or children. This somewhat shone through when the kids broke out of their façade and reverted back to their Kiwi accents for a line or two. However, this was mainly overshadowed by the standout performance of the cast, who's emotion and commitment to the play was clearly visible. To discuss and perform such difficult themes, especially with a limited budget and small cast, To Kill A Mockingbird certainly does well. To Kill a Mockingbird is being performed at the Civic Theatre in Auckland up until the 22nd of