Auckland Theatre Company’s production of To Kill a Mockingbird is about growing up under extraordinary circumstances during the 1930’s in the Southern United States. Racial prejudice is heightened by these extraordinary characters who live in the small town of Maycomb Alabama, particularly Scout Finch, her brother Jem, and their father Atticus, alongside with a black man accused of rape.
The simplistic stage setting of this production at The Civic indicated the strength of the actors ability to engage with it audience and draw us into the world of white, class-based racism where the children Scout, Jem, and father Dad Atticus continually advocated for what is right, even if the person for whom you advocate rests outside of socially acceptable standards of the time.
To Kill a Mockingbird allows for reflection on our own experiences of prejudices and racism, whether you are of indigenous peoples, LGBT community or living on the fringes of our so called normal society. Unfortunately for some, racial prejudice remains strong.
Finally, a large number of the audience at this particular show where students from the various educational center’s in Auckland, which was a strong indicator that To Kill a Mockingbird still holds literacy relevance in today’s context.
At the conclusion, the actors received a wonderful applause from a very appreciative audience and in particular the three young characters who were challenging their ‘norm’.
To Kill A Mockingbird runs from Friday 6 May to Sunday 22 May at The Civic, Queen St, Auckland. For more info and tickets visit www.atc.co.nz.
