Mary Badham to Speak at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, 11/7 & 8

Academy Award-nominated actress Mary Badham who played Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the most poignant films in cinematic history, will appear at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey on Monday, November 7 and Tuesday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m. In Looking Back with Scout: A Conversation with Mary Badham, the actress will recall her memories on the set of the 1962 blockbuster film and discuss the book's themes of tolerance, justice, and compassion. Each evening will feature an extensive question-and-answer session with the audience. Looking Back with Scout: A Conversation with Mary Badham coincides with The Shakespeare Theatre's production of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel, which begins performances on October 12 and runs through November 20. Tickets to the event are $40 and $50 and can be purchased by calling The Shakespeare Theatre box office at 973-408-5600 or visiting www.ShakespeareNJ.org. The event will take place at The Shakespeare Theatre's F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. in Madison.

Looking Back with Scout: A Conversation with Mary Badham is sponsored, in part, by the Morristown law firm of McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter. "We are honored to support this unique and exciting event at The Shakespeare Theatre," said Edward B. Deutsch, Managing Partner. "As a diverse law practice with spirit and dynamism and lawyers who place the client first, we can think of no better program to sponsor than one that celebrates the integrity, civility and character of Atticus Finch - one of the most famous lawyers in American literature."

The 1962 classic film To Kill a Mockingbird is based on Harper Lee's timeless novel which celebrated its 50th anniversary of publication in 2010. The story takes place during three years of the Great Depression in the fictional county of Maycomb, Alabama and follows the lives of six year-old Scout Finch, her brother Jem, and their father Atticus Finch, a lawyer appointed by the county court to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused a of raping a white woman. For their roles in the film adaptation directed by Paul Mulligan, Gregory Peck, who played Atticus Finch won an Academy Award for Best Actor and Mary Badham, at the age of ten, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress - at the time, the youngest actress ever to receive that recognition

Over the years following the release of the film, Badham maintained close contact with Gregory Peck and occasionally accompanied him on his one-man-show lecture tours and to award ceremonies. Besides To Kill A Mockingbird, Badham is also known for her role as Sport Sharewood in The Bewitchin' Pool, the final episode of the original Twilight Zone series. She also appeared in the films Let's Kill Uncle and This Property Is Condemned with Robert Redford and Natalie Wood before retiring as an actress. In 2005, she was brought out of retirement to appear in the film Our Very Own with Allison Janney, Keith Carradine, and Jason Ritter and directed by Shakespeare Theatre Company member Cameron Watson. Badham is keenly interested in expanding knowledge about the message of social injustice in To Kill A Mockingbird and in ensuring that each generation experiences the film's impact. Currently, Badham works as an art restorer and a college testing coordinator, and is both a wife and a mother of two.

For tickets to Looking Back with Scout: A Conversation with Mary Badham or for more information, call The Shakespeare Theatre box office at 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

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