It's a groundbreaking novel which took on racial injustice in America at a time most didn't even want to admit it existed. Harper Lee's 1960 book To Kill A Mockingbird won a Pulitzer Prize, and led to the 1962 movie starring Gregory Peck which was nominated for eight Oscars.
It's a story which still resonates today.
Academy Award winning writer Aaron Sorkin wrote an acclaimed new play based on the book. This weekend, it's wrapping a more than two year long national tour in Thousand Oaks.
Emmy Award winning actor Richard Thomas plays attorney Atticus Finch, the small town Alabama lawyer defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. Tom Robinson is innocent, but Finch is dealing with a town filled with prejudice.
Yaegel T. Welch plays Robinson.
"I'm glad that I'm not living in the reality of what's happening to Tom Robinson," said Welch. "But I get to be a part of an artistic story that tells the story of what Tom Robinson went through. Maybe it's not true for Robinson, but it's true for so many others who were separated from their families, unjustly locked up, or even killed at the hands of the law."
Welch says while the story is set in the 1930’s, in this modern day era with tragedies like the death of George Floyd it is just as relevant.
Most people know the famous movie version of To Kill A Mockingbird, which starred Gregory Peck. Thomas, who plays Finch, said this play which reverts back to the original novel as its source brings new energy to the story.
"It's not like people are just going to come in and see a social studies less. That's not it at all," said Thomas. "He (Sorkin) has also brought the story forward, without changing the time and place. He brought the story forwards so we're thinking about it in terms of how we think about these issues of social justice now. He's laced the play with these arguments, and points of view in these arguments that reflect how were talking about the subject."
Thomas said he hopes audiences are both entertained, but also inspired to think about the issues.
"I wanted people to be entertained, I want them to be moved, I want them to laugh, I want them to cry," said Thomas.
He said he hopes people also walk away thinking about how they as individuals fit in with the larger problem.
The production also features another special nugget. Mary Badham, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Gregory Peck’s daughter Scout in the 1962 feature film, plays a role in this stage production.
This weekend’s performances are bittersweet for the cast and crew. This is the final weekend of the tour, which has included nearly 800 performances since March of 2022. It’s the highest grossing play ever to tour North America.
The American Theater Guild presentation of To Kill A Mockingbird has five more performance, all at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, to wrap up its national tour. There’s a Friday night performance, followed by matinee and evening performances both Saturday and Sunday.
