“To Kill a Mockingbird” comes to Whitefish and Missoula
Published: August 31, 2009
Whitefish Theatre Company’s season opens Sept. 18-19 with a performance of Harper Lee’s classic, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” presented by the Montana Repertory Theatre.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturday at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center.
Whitefish Theatre Co., in collaboration with the Flathead County Library System and the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read program, is bringing this Pulitzer Prize-winner to the Flathead Valley. The Big Read is a program that aims to restore reading to the heart of American life.
“It has been 10 years since the Montana Rep’s national tour has come to Whitefish,” said Carolyn Pitman, executive director of the Whitefish Theatre Co. “We are thrilled to be working with the Flathead Library System and the Big Read to bring this wonderful story to our audience members.”
To Kill a Mockingbird is a simple story that speaks deeply and eloquently of human nature and human values. The novel, written 50 years ago, is set in a sleepy southern town of the 1930’s, as Atticus Finch, an attorney and the widowed father of two young children, stands against his fellow townspeople by defending a young black man falsely accused of raping a white woman.
Artistic Director Greg Johnson remembers reading Harper Lee’s novel as a 14-year old. “I cracked the binding of Harper Lee's incredible story about Scout, Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Atticus Finch, and instantly fell in love,” he recalls. “In love with the poetry of the language, with the sassiness of Scout, the quiet dignity of Tom, the mystery of Boo, and ultimately with the courage of Atticus. He was the father we all wanted.”
“I would never again look at prejudice, intolerance, the South, or family with the same eyes,” he adds.
The story continues to inspire with its audiences worldwide with its warmth, wit and wisdom.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $6 for students with reserved seating. The Whitefish Theatre box office is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and one hour before a performance. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.whitefishtheatreco.org. For information on season tickets, contact the box office at 406-862-5371 or visit the website.
Montana Repertory Theatre, which specializes in bringing new life to classics of the American stage, also stages “Mockingbird” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16-17 in the UM Montana Theatre. Tickets are $8-$18; call 406-243-4581.
