NEXTpittsburgh: A 20th-century literary masterpiece is the subject of a noteworthy local production coming to the Northside. Honor the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Presidential Medal of Freedom winner Harper Lee—who passed away in February 2016—and help Prime Stage Theatre launch its 20th anniversary season when To Kill a Mockingbird takes center stage at the New Hazlett Theater.
2 comments:
I loved the book To Kill A Mockingbird and I hope the play does the book justice. There was something about Scout and Jem being innocent despite everything that goes on around them that drew me into their story. Its neat that Prime Stage Theater has so many event to encourage people to come see their show. It’s awesome that Mary Badham is able to attend the show and speak about her experience creating the movie along with other directors, designers, and actors who have worked with the Prime Stage Theater before. Hopefully lovers of To Kill A Mockingbird will come see this show and be drawn back to the Prime Stage Theater by talking to the directors, designers, and actors. Doing an adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird seems like a great way to celebrate their 20th year and I hope that the show is a success.
I’ve been fortunate enough to see two productions produced by Prime Stage and both times I left satisfied. Prime Stage is doing extremely important work; I just don’t know if they have quite found their footing yet in the Pittsburgh theatre scene. What I appreciate about Prime Stage is that they are truly based in education. Each work is based in educational literature that students are being taught in the classroom. In addition, the types of novels and stories really vary. I have seen “Antigone” and “The Great Gatsby”. These are radically different stories, however this the range of educational literature. It is crucial that students have a connection to what they learn in the classroom to the everyday. To see the language come to life and to help the student understand the story is incredible and thankless. The type of theatre that Prime Stage produces is not by any means a spectacle or the best in the country. However, it is reaching to students and truly impacting the community. Teachers from local intermediate and high schools constantly bring their students and, more importantly perhaps, they come back.
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