On Monday, April 23rd, sophomore English classes attended a stage version of the controversial and classic novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Those who attended the show were able to gain a deeper understanding of the novel, and enjoyed the performance very much.

Many are familiar with the book and the main character, Scout; a curious tomboy who changes her small town. The actress, Sarah, who portrayed Scout, did a fantastic job. She stayed in character the entire time, as did the others. Her acting and singing skills stole the show, as she delivered an emotional performance for the audience. The young cast made the show even more outstanding due to their immense professionalism, on and offstage.

Notably, there were few actors touring with the show, yet many characters to be performed. To solve this issue, members of the cast played multiple roles. They quickly changed their costume pieces onstage, as characters never exited.

Cast members also moved their own props and had no tech crew. When the actors were not acting in a scene, they sat upstage, staying in character. Glancing toward the back of stage, characters would remain fully in character and would pay attention to the current scene.

After the performance, the English classes spoke about the words used to describe Tom Robinson in the play. Ms. Foley told the classes that the actors have two versions, one using the N-word, and one using “negro”. Ms. Foley instructed the actors to stay true to the book, even though it is controversial. Staying true to the words of the novel gave the audience a greater understanding of what the times were like. If the word was not used, the show wouldn’t have given the reality of what happened, and potentially may have changed the message.

Thanks to Ms. Foley for organizing this event, as it was a great opportunity for the sophomore class.