Building Momentum

Tuesday morning — Sunday night's rehearsal was by far the best we've had to date, and our vision for the Sugar Creek Players' production of To Kill a Mockingbird is starting to come together.

On Sunday, we ran the entire first act with virtually no interruption. Considering it was the first time we had put the 10 scenes together, I was thrilled with the pace and performance.

Now that the set pieces are largely complete, we're focusing our attention on getting actors off-book. Many already know their lines, many are close, and a few who have lines in almost every scene are within a few days of having their lines down.

Our production has received two grants with the hope of at least one more. (News on these coming later in the week.) We'll use grant money to further our educational outreach efforts with local schools. Our hope is to go into local middle and high schools to talk about the play, how it differs from the book, and how we as a cast have worked through issues like racism, sexism, class differences, not to mention the language. Grant money will allow us to either provide free or greatly discounted tickets to students whose classes have studied the book. We sent out a mass invitation to more than 20 local teachers of English, literature, social studies, and drama. Spread the word — if you know teachers who might be interested in bringing classes to our play and/or having us come into their classes to talk about it, have them contact the director.

A quick note on some of our symbols. Our show's logo makes use of a large, silhouetted tree with a lone mockingbird flying off. For us, the dying tree symbolizes the old attitudes of Maycomb. Scout says to Miss Maudie, "Maycomb is an old town, isn't it?" We like to think that the racism and sexism that for so long defined the town are beginning to die, and that people like Atticus, Scout, and Miss Maudie represent the town's future.

For us, that lone mockingbird could be Atticus, for he alone has been chosen to "do our unpleasant" business, as Maudie says. Perhaps the mockingbird is Tom Robinson, who sits alone in a jail cell waiting for a trial he knows he will lose. Maybe the mockingbird is sad, old, Mrs. Dubose who suffers her addiction alone. Dill feels very much alone, "I'm little, but I'm old," he says of himself, while telling his friends that his parents aren't mean, but they don't have much interest in him. The obvious mockingbird is Boo Radley, shut up in his house and kept largely in solitude. And as Harper Lee tells us, "It's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

Our production will also incorporate the state flag of Alabama, with its large red X running through its length. The basic structure is the same as the flag of the Confederacy. The flag will be larger and far more prominent than even the American flag in our Maycomb courtroom, signifying Alabama's independence. And while not fully intentional, we think that large red X works like a target on Tom Robinson's back — as he gets shot from behind 17 times.

Eighteen days until opening night!