Penn State Centre Stage to Perform ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’

Penn State Centre Stage will perform To Kill a Mockingbird, a show based on on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, starting next week.

The production is a stage adaptation by Christopher Sergel, taking place in 1935 in Maycomb, Alabama. Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch watches her father, Atticus Finch, defend an innocent black man, Tom Robinson, against a potential death sentence.

Susan Schulman, head of the graduate directing program, is directing the production. Schulman’s Broadway directing credits include Tony Award-winning musical The Secret Garden, the Sweeney Todd revival, The Sound of Music revival, and Little Women.

‘I hope our production celebrates the belief that all life is sacred,’ Schulman said in a news release. ‘That there is dignity in the individual and even flawed people can rise to challenge ignorance and injustice; to take a step, even if it’s a small step, toward empathy and respect for those different than themselves.’

To Kill a Mockingbird will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2 through Friday, April 12 with a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee in the Playhouse Theatre. Previews will be held on Tuesday, April 2 and Thursday, April 4.

Tickets are available at Penn State Tickets Downtown, Eisenhower Auditorium box office, and the Bryce Jordan Center or online. Tickets for the general public cost $25 during the show’s regular run and $20 for the previews and matinee. Students can purchase tickets for $12.50 with a valid Penn State ID.