Mockingbird Hits Second Weekend

Larry Savoy as Tom Robinson

Thursday — Tonight we open our second weekend of performances of To Kill a Mockingbird at the Vanity Theater. We'll perform three more shows at 8 p.m. tonight, Friday, and Saturday nights. Friday is nearly sold out and Saturday is likely to sell out by the time we take the stage. Good seats are available for tonight's show.

Last night before our LAST rehearsal, I said to the cast that I wanted them to be sharp — sharp on timing, sharp on lines, focused. Then I looked up and said, "We only get to do this four more times."

Four more times. That's all.

A year ago when I signed on to do this seems so far away. Early February — when I cast the children's roles — seems like a long time ago. Our first rehearsal in early March, well, a long time ago. And yet now we have only three more days as a cast of this remarkable play.

Mahlon Nevitt as Link Deas

And what's really interesting is that this weekend's performances will no doubt be dramatically different than last weekend (pun intended). Larry Savoy carries the role of Tom Robinson this weekend, while DeVan Taylor slips into the role of a spiritual-singing Maycomb citizen.

We're excited to see both men in these new roles. As a director, I'm looking forward to seeing the effects on the rest of the cast and the flow of the courtroom scenes.

I have a hunch that each and every one of the 27 actors still has a "personal best" performance in them. While I thought all three shows last weekend were excellent, this group just seems to get better every time we're together. There is a closeness in this cast that I've not experience before, and they trust each other to perform at a high level every time out. I'm positive that will be the case this weekend.

At auditions way back when, I told the actors that I thought they had an opportunity to do something special with Mockingbird. I also said that I am aware that every director says that at the outset of a production.

But given the historical significance of this story, the town in which our play is being performed, and the way the cast has galvanized — something truly special has happened. And I suspect all of us associated with this production will never forget our time together. We hope our audiences feel the the same.

Reggie Steele, DeVan Taylor, Jerry Bowie, and Bekah Kirts