By Annette Hinkle
When director Murphy Davis set out to select the next book for Bay Street Theatre’s Literature Live series, it didn’t take long for him to decide on Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
It’s true that last year marked the 50th anniversary of Lee’s novel (the movie version hits the half century mark in 2012). But Davis’ reasoning for the book’s selection went beyond that fact.
“We looked a number of pieces of literature in the school curriculum and the percentile of what’s being read,” explains Davis. “We said to teachers, ‘Of these five plays, which would be your first choice?’”
“Four out five came back as ‘Mockingbird,’” he adds.
Literature Live, now in its third year, is an educational initiative offered by Bay Street in which classic books are brought to life on stage. “To Kill a Mockingbird” runs from November 7 to 26 at Bay Street, while previous productions include “The Diary of Anne Frank” in 2009 and “The Miracle Worker” (the story of Helen Keller) in 2010. In advance of each play, Bay Street provides teachers with a curriculum to present to their classes and this year, 1,600 students from as far away as Wyandanch and Deer Park will travel to Sag Harbor to see the show.
While it is technically geared toward students, Davis notes that Literature Live features professional shows with professional casts. In addition to school day performances, evening shows are also offered on the weekends for general audiences. And though it’s typically read by middle and high school students, “To Kill a Mockingbird” is one of those books that tends to remain a favorite into adulthood.
Set in Alabama in the midst of the Great Depression, Lee’s novel tells the story of prejudice and justice from the point of view of Scout Finch, the precocious six year old daughter of small town lawyer Atticus Finch. Finch, a public defender, is assigned to represent Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping an abused white woman in the poverty stricken neighborhood where they both live. Scout looks to her father and the family’s housekeeper, Calpurnia, to explain the hatred and racism she witnesses as the trial approaches. But she’s still a child, and the story also follows the backyard adventures of Scout, her older brother Jem and summer neighbor Dill Harris (who is modeled on Truman Capote, a childhood friend of Lee’s) as they attempt to get a look at Boo Radley, the mysterious hermit who lives up the street. For this production, the boys’ roles will be filled by two Sag Harbor students — Myles Stokowski and Hudson Galardi-Troy who play Jem and Dill respectively — while Lily Spellman, a Hampton Bays student who played Helen Keller last year, will take on the role of Scout.
Though Davis read the book when he, himself, was a student, he admits he hadn’t revisited it in the years since. But after reading just 30 or so pages in advance of this production, Murphy put the book down. Instead, he decided to focus solely on Christopher Sergel’s stage version of the novel, which, by necessity, omits some of the material in the book.
“I also made a conscious decision not to watch the movie again,” adds Murphy who prefers to approach the material with a fresh eye.
“When you’re taking a piece of literature and directing the storytelling, you’re able to focus on how best to tell the story and what emotional high point your hitting,” says Davis. “One of the great joys of directing is the ability to lay in particular moments dramatically you want to do.”
“That’s one of my favorite parts of storytelling,” adds Davis. “The dramatic or emotional moment is what brings it on. When the idea — the intellectual thought the author’s trying to get across — is juxtaposed with the emotional … that’s what makes theater or movies different. When students see somebody perform live, all of a sudden, the points of racism or abuse that are brought up in the book come together.”
Though Davis hadn’t read “To Kill a Mockingbird” since his youth, he notes that his responses to the messages in the novel are largely the same as they were when he was a student.
“My perception of it hasn’t changed,” he concedes. “The things I responded to as a young teenager and the outrage, upset and sense of injustice are almost exactly the same. I still feel them as an adult.”
As a director, one of the biggest hurdles for Davis is to take this very familiar piece of literature and present it with new insight.
“That’s a huge challenge,” he concedes. “When you take a piece of literature that is so well known, how do you make it immediate and in the moment?
For Davis, the solution is to hone in on the major themes of the play and present the audience with a production that perhaps shines a slightly different light on the familiar material.
“What I’m trying to focus on is the idea that the community helps to raise children and the value systems that are imparted by the those in the community in the face of a predominately prejudice and depressed time,” says Davis. “This play takes place in the height of the Depression in 1935, one thing I talked about with the cast is that everyone is being strained and stressed where we don’t act our best.”
“When confronted with choice, whether you’re a child or adult, you can go one way or another,” he adds. “I’m trying to focus on that through the value systems [neighbor] Miss Maudie, Calpurnia and Atticus impart in these children. Here are three people — one a widow, one a widower and the other the domestic help — and all three are joining forces to keep these kids on the straight and narrow on their value system.”
When asked why he thinks “To Kill a Mockingbird” has long been a favorite novel of both students and adults, Davis points to the way in which the children in Lee’s story act and interact with the adults in their lives.
“I think there’s a very truthful depiction of children and their relationship with adults and the world around them,” he says. “They are given a respect that is due them and I think children pick up on that. Atticus is amazing in his understanding and balance. He gives the kids choices and leaves it up to them. He lets them see things. During the court trial, once he realizes they have snuck in, he says to Calpurnia that they can watch.”
Direct experience counts for a lot — not only in Lee’s book, but on stage as well, and Davis feels that through Literature Live, young people become much more engaged in the classics that they read in school.
“I think the students get more excited about books,” he says. “When you bring something to life and they get to see it in front of them, that experience can be a much more visceral one. I often think that when things are more immediate they can be much more profound.”
“To Kill a Mockingbird” is recommended for ages 13 and up. Performances are November 7 to 26 at Bay Street Theatre on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor. Tickets are $10 for students and $20 for adults. Call 725-0818 to reserve, or visit www.baystreet.org.
Above: (l to r) Myles Stokowski (Jem), Hudson Galardi-Troy (Dill), Susan Galardi (Miss Maudie) and Lily Spellman (Scout) perform a scene from “To Kill A Mockingbird” during a rehearsal at the Bay Street Theatre on Monday, October 31. (Michael Heller photo.)
