TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Winner of the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is unquestionably an American classic. More than 15 million copies of the novel have been printed and it is required reading in high schools across the country. In 1962 the story was brought to the screen in an Academy Award-winning adaptation by Horton Foote and later adapted for the theatre. Though over 35 years old, this stage adaptation continues to compel and delight viewers worldwide with its warmth, wit, and wisdom.

The story of To Kill a Mockingbird is simple, yet it speaks deeply and eloquently of human nature and of human values. The action is set in the 1930's in a sleepy Southern town, where 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. Through every step and with every word, Atticus instills in his children the traditional moral values of respect for others, honesty, courage, integrity, and above all, responsibility for one's actions. Without fanfare or bravado, Atticus Finch assumes prominence as a true American hero. At one point he tells his son that he has learned "what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. it's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what."

The full-length play gives audiences the chance to watch the two young children develop as the story unfolds and to witness the effect the trial has on the entire community. A one-hour production is also available for school performances. Rather than condensing the entire show, the school production features the pivotal courtroom scene. 

Prejudice, racism, and human values are not issues of a particular time; they are issues of all time. To Kill a Mockingbird places these issues in a context that transcends the story's individuals and their actions. Atticus teaches his children that "you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." Through this live performance, audiences come as close as possible to taking that walk.

Now in its twenty-second year, our program offers experience, creativity, and flexibility to audiences across the country. Every year, our actors and production crew hold workshops and give backstage tours for audiences on our tour. These inspired professionals teach various aspects of theatre craft. Special topics are added each year depending on the themes inherent in the current play and the specific talents of the touring company.

The educational outreach program acquaints audiences with live theatre and the work of playwrights, making the process of play production fascinating and accessible. In doing so, the program educates audiences, developing their appetite for plays and literature. The Montana Repertory Theatre is strongly committed to nurturing and developing new audiences for the theatre and supporting the classroom experience with theatre arts. With that in mind, the company offers a variety of educational programs to presenters.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE:
• Pre- or post-performance discussions with audiences
• Backstage tour with Montana Rep technicians
• Professional acting techniques or improvisation workshops*


THE ACTING WORKSHOP: Building Blocks of Acting: Truth in Action
Goal: To make choices as an actor that make a performance more truthful and believable on stage.
After a series of warm-up exercises, students are shown the difference between "painting on a bucket of feeling" and letting feelings develop organically through action. Students progress through a series of improvised scenes in which specific emotions and feelings are the focus; for example, suspicion, reluctance, anger, etc. The workshop leaders then lead discussions on truthfulness in acting and its connection to action. Further topics include the character's tactics, goals, and desires with regard to the other characters' feelings.

THE IMPROVISATION WORKSHOP: Building a Group Ensemble
Goal: To familiarize students with some "rules of improv," the value of strong group dynamic, and the inherent need for trust among players. Participants play a series of group games to increase the following skills: cooperation, concentration, observation, and imagination.

THE AUDITIONING WORKSHOP: Making a Good First Impression
Goal: To inform students of the multitude of things to consider for a successful audition, in addition to memorizing a monologue. Leaders will give advice on what to wear, how to introduce oneself, the use of furniture and props, the best way to prepare for a call-back, and monologue selection.

LIFE ON THE ROAD: Professional Tour Actors Speak
Goal: To inform students of the real-life, day-to-day requirements of being a professional touring actor or a working actor in a large metropolitan area, and, possibly, to inspire students to pursue acting as a career. Actors will give firsthand, personal accounts of what it's like to make a living as an actor and how one gets to that point in one's career. Topics will include auditioning, becoming an Equity actor, keeping a performance fresh, stamina, working with other actors in close quarters, and travel issues.