“In this year of grace, 1935, we’re beginning to hear more and more references to Thomas Jefferson’s phrase about all men being created equal. But we know that all men arenot created equal – in the sense that some men are smarter than others, some have more opportunity because they’re born with it, some men make more money, some ladies make better cakes, some people are born gifted beyond the normal scope – But there’s one way in which all men are created equal. There’s one human institution that makes the pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal to an Einstein. This institution, gentlemen, is a court of law. In our courts – all men are created equal.” - Atticus Finch, To Kill A Mocking Bird

Based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, The Mockingbird Players of Monroeville, Alabama will bring to Asia Society Hong Kong Center their China premiere of the three-act play.

Set in 1930s in the fictitious small town of Maycomb, Alabama, To Kill a Mockingbird tells a story of prejudice, while underscoring the timeless, cross-cultural principles of respect for the rule of law, and the importance of moral integrity. Since its 1991 production in the Old Courthouse at Harper Lee’s birth place, Monroeville, the Literary Capital of Alabama , The Mockingbird Players perform annually to sold-out crowds every April and May, the production has also traveled to Israel, England, as well as performed to  US Congress and other dignitaries at Kennedy Center. 

Join us at the Finch family porch at the Joseph Lau Roof Garden, and in the courtroom at the Jockey Club Hall. Witness Harper Lee’s message of harmony and understanding come to life, and be prepared to be chosen as part of the jury on stage that makes the ultimate verdict. 

A full-length play by
Christopher Sergel 

Synopsis

To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age novel about growing up in 1930s Alabama. The story covers a span of three years in the lives of Scout Finch, her brother Jem, and their father Atticus in the fictitious small town of Maycomb, Alabama.

A widower and attorney, Atticus raises his children by himself, with the helpf of kindly neighbors and a black housekeeper named Calpurnia. Scout and Jem spend their days going to school, playing in the neighborhood and trying to find out more about a mysterious neighbor named Boo Radley.

Midway through the story, Atticus represents a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping and beating a white woman. The trial and its outcome divide the town along racial lines and result in tragic consequences. It also teaches Scout and Jem lasting lessons about human nature.

To Kill a Mockingbird was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was made into a 1962 movie starring Gregory Peck who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch.  

(Duration: Approximately 2 hours 45 minutes with intermission)

Act I (Approximately 50 minutes) at Joseph Lau Roof Garden
Act II and III (Approximately 1 hour 25 minutes) at Jockey Club Hall

The first act takes place in and around the audience on the lawn of the courthouse and includes the arrival of a period automobile carrying an angry mob and a family arriving for the trial in a mule-drawn wagon or “Hoover cart.” Music from the Monroe County Interdenominational Mass Choir beckons the audience into the courthouse for the second act.

The Mockingbird Players

The Mockingbird Players, an amateur theater group, has performed the play by Christopher Sergel to sold-out crowds at the Old Courthouse Museum, Monroeville, Alabama, each May since 1991. The players are all volunteers — even the mockingbirds that appear on cue in trees outside the courthouse during Act I volunteer their vocal abilities.

The Mockingbird Players also place the audience in the play. The all-male jury, which ultimately convicts Tom Robinson, is chosen from each evening’s audience. The rest of the audience watches from the courtroom floor and the balcony, along with Jem, Scout, Dill and other Maycomb residents.

The Mockingbird Players gained international attention in 1996 when they were invited to perform at the Jerusalem, Israel International Cultural Festival. The performances were sold out and covered by Israeli television and CNN International. In 1998, they traveled to Kingston-upon-Hull, England, to perform at Hull Truck Theatre and conduct an Alabama Cultural Symposium. In 2000, the Mockingbird Players took their production to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. where they did a special sold-out performance for members of the US Congress and other dignitaries. The five-night Kennedy Center run was a huge hit with this national audience.   

Produced by special arrangement with
THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois   

Other To Kill a Mockingbird Events

Co-presented with