UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Centre Stage presents "To Kill a Mockingbird," Christopher Sergel's stage adaptation based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, April 2–12, at the Playhouse Theatre. The play chronicles the social and racial inequalities of the rural South in 1935 as told through the eyes of a young girl.
It's 1935, and racial tensions are high in Maycomb, Alabama. Nonetheless, young Jean Louise Finch — or Scout, as she is fondly called — manages to live a rather carefree, privileged existence, insulated from issues of race. All that changes when Scout watches her father, Atticus Finch, defend an innocent black man, Tom Robinson, against a potential death sentence. In the end, Scout learns that "growing up" is often about doing what is right, even when it comes at great cost.
Director Susan H. Schulman is head of the graduate directing program at Penn State and a professional director. Schulman added, "In Maycomb, Alabama, in 1935, no one seems to choose their situation but sometimes, when challenged, ordinary people do extraordinary things. I hope our production celebrates the belief that all life is sacred. That there is dignity in the individual and even flawed people can rise to challenge ignorance and injustice; to take a step, even if it’s a small step, toward empathy and respect for those different than themselves."
Schulman's Broadway directing credits include the Tony Award-winning musical "The Secret Garden," as well as its highly successful two-and-a-half-year national tour; the revival of "Sweeney Todd" at the Circle in the Square, for which she received a Tony Award nomination; the revival of "The Sound of Music" (Tony nomination for Outstanding Revival); and "Little Women," to name a few.