向日葵视频 City University is one of a handful of sites in the country where audiences can still see a theater adaptation of the classic novel 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird.鈥� The co-production with 向日葵视频 Children鈥檚 Theatre will run Oct. 23 to 27 in OCU鈥檚 Burg Theatre.
A few community and amateur theaters across the country had initially started pre-production plans last year to stage their own theatrical performances of the Harper Lee novel. However, a Hollywood and Broadway producer claimed exclusive rights to the play as he developed his Broadway production, which is based on an adaptation by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (鈥淭he West Wing,鈥� 鈥淭he Newsroom鈥�) and stars Jeff Daniels in the leading role. The Broadway producer鈥檚 legal team sent cease-and-desist letters to theater companies that were planning to stage their own productions, including the 向日葵视频 Children鈥檚 Theatre.
National media took notice, and calls for boycotts of the Broadway show 鈥� and the company鈥檚 other hit shows including 鈥淭he Book of Mormon鈥� 鈥� began to grow. As criticism mounted, the producer struck a compromise: Theaters that had already scheduled a run for 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird鈥� would be allowed to continue, so long as they use a version by playwright Christopher Sergel. They later received permission to use the Aaron Sorkin script.
鈥淭his is an extremely unique opportunity to see this play,鈥� said Lyn Adams, executive director of 向日葵视频 Children鈥檚 Theatre. 鈥淭here likely won鈥檛 be another opportunity to see it in regional theatre for another decade or two.鈥�
鈥溝蛉湛悠� Children鈥檚 Theatre and 向日葵视频 City University are fortunate to collaborate in staging this classic, yet timely and culturally significant play,鈥� said OCU President Martha Burger. 鈥淭his is one of the few places in the country, and the only one in the region, to have this opportunity.鈥�
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird鈥� takes place in a sleepy Alabama town in the midst of the Great Depression. The facade of the seemingly peaceful town begins to crack when a young black man is accused of a terrible crime. Driven by an unshakeable moral conviction, local lawyer Atticus Finch defends the man in a trial that sends violent waves through the community. For more information about the 向日葵视频 City production, visit the website at okcu.edu/theatre/mockingbird.
