Weston Playhouse Closes Season with TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, 8/29-9/7

As the cast of 42nd Street "shuffles off to Buffalo," the Weston Playhouse stage is being set for its final show of the season, To Kill a Mockingbird. Written more than half a century ago, Harper Lee's novel remains a beloved bestseller and is quite possibly one of the most influential novels of the 20th Century. Compassionate and deeply moving, the American masterpiece portraying racial injustice in the deep south will grace the Weston Playhouse stage for the first time.

This is the story of the humble yet brave lawyer, Atticus Finch, who dares to defend a black man accused of raping a white girl in Maycomb Alabama, 1935. Seen through the eyes of Atticus's tomboy daughter Scout, the story is loved by millions not only for its focus on social injustice, but for its genuine warmth and humor.

The Christopher Sergel stage adaptation is under the direction of Malcolm Ewen, whose productions of American classics such as Of Mice and Men and A Raisin in the Sun have been highlights of recent Weston seasons. The production will feature a small-town Southern neighborhood designed by Blair Mielnik with period costumes by Barbara Bell, lighting by Tony nominee Ann G. Wrightson, and sound by the Broadway team of Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen. The Production Stage Manager is Martin Lechner.

The iconic lawyer Atticus Finch will be played by actor James Lloyd Reynolds whose credits include lead roles at the country's top regional theatres and TV appearances on The Good Wife and Law and Order. The supporting cast includes Weston and Broadway veterans Ron Crawford, Christopher Donahue, Thursday Farrar, Susan Haefner, Barbara Lloyd, Munson Hicks, Elizabeth Morton and Amy Van Nostrand.

Weston is pleased to have in its company three young Vermonters who proved to be qualified and ambitious enough for the important roles of Scout, Dill and Jem. The young actors are Kelsey McCullough of Rutland Town, Isaac Freitas-Eagan of Guilford, and AnDrew Foster of Putney.

One of many classic lines from Harper Lee's novel is Atticus Finch saying, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." Consider catching one of the few performances at The Playhouse and reacquaint yourself with the characters of Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, Bob Ewell, and the elusive Boo Radley.

Performances of To Kill a Mockingbird run August 29 - September 7 at the Weston Playhouse, 12 Park Street, Weston. Tuesdays - Saturdays at 7:30; Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2:00; Sundays at 3:00. Performances of the one-act, one-man show This Blessed Plot continue at the Rod & Gun Club through September 1. Tickets for both shows can be purchased at The Playhouse Box Office, by telephone at (802) 824-5288, or online at westonplayhouse.org.