‘Mockingbird’ remains relevant
St. Edward’s University production holds ‘mirror up to society.’
In 1960, author Harper Lee published “To Kill a Mockingbird,” her now-classic novel about racism, justice and coming of age in a small Alabama town. Though set in the 1930s, the book resonated with an American public wrestling with civil rights issues and questions of social justice.
Robert Tolaro, who is directing a new production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” at St. Edward’s University, which runs through Nov. 22, believes the book’s themes are just as relevant today as when the novel debuted.
In fact, the team at St. Edward’s chose the play because it fit perfectly with this year’s Freshman Studies Common Theme, which revolves around Bryan Stevenson’s memoir “Just Mercy” and its indictment of the criminal justice system.
For those who haven’t read the novel since high school, “To Kill a Mockingbird” tells the story of a young girl named Jean Louise (called by her nickname Scout) who watches her attorney father, Atticus Finch, defend a black man named Tom Robinson who is falsely accused of rape. As the trial unfolds, the town’s prejudices and the failings of the justice system are on full display.
The choice to produce “To Kill a Mockingbird” proved especially timely given the July release of Harper Lee’s second novel, “Go Set a Watchman,” purported to be an early draft of “Mockingbird.” The new novel stirred up much controversy, especially because it depicted Atticus as racist, a portrayal at odds with the heroic, courageous character he appears as in “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Tolaro was determined not to let the fierce debate about “Go Set a Watchman” affect the production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” He did not read the new novel, though he said he read reviews and articles about it.
“It’s not going to affect the play we’re doing,” he said. “I do know about it, and it’s an interesting road to travel, but you don’t depict Atticus in ‘Mockingbird’ in any different way from how it’s written.”
Actor Brian Coughlin, who plays Atticus Finch, has also chosen not to read “Go Set a Watchman.” “Once I heard how controversial it was,” he said, “I really stayed away from even reading about it. I don’t even want to get that in my head because we are telling the story of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’”
Coughlin drew inspiration from his personal life when crafting the role of Atticus. He grew up in Galveston where his father, Larry Coughlin, was a well-respected lawyer. “My father always reminded me of Atticus Finch in that he was a very just and moral attorney,” Coughlin said.
Coughlin’s father regularly did pro bono work for the underprivileged, and the actor remembers that every Christmas for 35 years a man his father had helped would bring the family a smoked turkey to say thank you. “My father was just a kind and gentle person,” Coughlin said, “but a little distant with his children, like Atticus.” Throughout the process, Coughlin has been using these memories to help him connect to the role.
For the St. Edward’s production, Tolaro and the designers have given “To Kill A Mockingbird” a minimalist aesthetic. The show features a mostly open space, with the details filled in by the imagination of the audience. “The strength of the piece is in the words and the movement,” Tolaro said.
The director also re-imagined how the story unfolds. In the book, the story is told from Scout’s perspective, but in the stage version (adapted by Christopher Sergel) a neighbor narrates the action. Tolaro instead decided to treat the play as a collective memory of the entire town, with many different characters telling the story.
This gave him the opportunity to expand the role of the Finch family’s African-American housekeeper Calpurnia, played by guest artist Carla Nickerson. Two other Equity guest artists join the St. Edward’s student cast — Coughlin as Atticus and Marc Pouhé as Tom Robinson.
In discussions with the cast, Tolaro said many of them felt that their impressions of the book had changed since they first read it. As high school students, their eyes were on the journey and perspective of Scout, but reading it now they are more aware of the political implications of the novel and how it relates to the current world. “’To Kill a Mockingbird’ has been relevant since it was written, and sadly it’s still so relevant today,” Coughlin said. “Especially with Ferguson and all these issues with African-Americans and police violence.”
“It shows you the power of art to hold a mirror up to society.”