Southern drama to visit northern stage

SARA JEFFRESS

April 18, 2008 at 10:02AM AKST

For The Arctic Sounder

Sets are going up and the actors are hard at work as the cast and crew of "To Kill a Mockingbird" prepare for upcoming performances April 18-19super osupersub at the Barrow High School Auditorium.

Based on Harper Lee’s classic novel of race and justice set in Depression-era Alabama, the play still has many resounding themes for Barrow today.

The story revolves around the children of Southern lawyer Atticus Finch and their experiences as they learn important lessons about right and wrong: How to treat reclusive neighbors, how to handle taunts at school and how to respect the rights of every human being.

The play, produced by Tuzzy Consortium Library and Arctic Community Theater, focuses primarily on the courtroom drama and its impacts and effects upon the lives of the children.

The library brings "To Kill a Mockingbird" to the stage as part of its participation in Anchorage Public Library’s Big Read program, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Big Read is a nationwide grant program designed to inspire and encourage literary reading for fun.

By partnering with local institutions to create programming and services relevant to "To Kill a Mockingbird," grant recipients are able to put that book into the minds of their communities.

Once everybody starts talking about a book, it becomes hard to find enough copies for everyone to read. After each Barrow performance of the play, free copies of "To Kill a Mockingbird" will be available for audience members to take home.

A book discussion group will meet to discuss the novel at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 30, at Tuzzy Library.

It has been several years since a full-scale theater production has appeared on a Barrow stage, and a couple of cast members in "To Kill a Mockingbird" find themselves playing dual roles.

Most interesting, the part of both the accused and the accuser will be played by the same man: William Davis.

Davis is playing both a black man accused of rape and the white man who accused him. Also appearing in two parts is Hopson Middle School student Frederica Matumeak, who plays Calpurnia, the Finch children’s housekeeper, and stands in as the courtroom clerk.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" will play at 7 p.m. in the Barrow High School Auditorium Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19.

Ticket prices are $5 per person.

Audience members are advised that the content of this play is mature, dealing with racial issues and violent crimes.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" appears through the generous support of the North Slope Borough School District, Spenard Builder’s Supply, Ilisagvik College, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Sara Jeffress is the youth services librarian at the Tuzzy Consortium Library in Barrow.