Annual Play production has Hometown Advantage
Mockingbird Players paint their production of
To Kill a Mockingbird with authentic local color

     In 2013, the Mockingbird Players of Monroeville, Ala., will present the 23rd season of their acclaimed production of a two-act play based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Every performance is sure to be a sellout. The play opens April 18, 2013, at the Old Courthouse Museum. Tickets go on sale to the public on March 1, 2013.
     Monroeville, Ala. is the birthplace of Harper Lee and is generally regarded as the model for the novel’s fictitious setting of Maycomb. Thousands of people from throughout the world visit the historic courthouse in Monroeville each year in search of the roots of To Kill a Mockingbird.
     The Mockingbird Players, an amateur theater group, has performed the play by Christopher Sergel to sold-out crowds at the Old Courthouse Museum each May since 1991. The production’s popularity has grown largely because it offers the audience the unique experience of an authentic hometown cast performing in the very courtroom where Harper Lee’s father practiced law.
    The Mockingbird Players also place the audience in the play. The all-white, 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 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.
     Monroeville’s productions of To Kill a Mockingbird bring residents from all areas of the community together and promote a harmony and understanding that mirrors the key messages of Ms. Lee’s famous book.
    The popular production is the major fundraising event for the Monroe County Heritage Museum. The play has also helped put the town in the national and international spotlight. Features have appeared in many national newspapers including the New York Times, the Washington Post and National Geographic Magazine, as well as numerous international publications.

Photos by Terra Baggett, Monroe County Heritage Museum

2013 Performance Schedule
& Ticket Details
 
    Thursday, April 18, at 7 p.m.
    Friday, April 19, at 7 p.m.
    Saturday, April 20, at 7 p.m.
    Sunday, April 21, at 6 p.m.
    Thursday, April 25, at 7 p.m.
    Friday, April 26, at 7 p.m.
    Saturday, April 27, at 7 p.m.
    Sunday, April 28, at 6 p.m.
    Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m.
    Friday, May 3, at 7 p.m.
    Saturday, May 4*, at 7 p.m.
       (Special Benefit Performance, $75)
    Thursday, May 9, at 7 p.m.
    Friday, May 10, at 7 p.m.
    Saturday, May 11, at 7 p.m.
    Friday, May 17, at 7 p.m.
    Saturday, May 18, at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $35 and go on sale March 1, 2013.
*A special benefit performance on Saturday, May 4, “Evening with the Mockingbird Stars” includes drinks, heavy hors d'oeuvre & dessert with the cast after the performance for $75.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 1, 2013, by walk-in or telephone only (251-575-7433) between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. All tickets must be purchased in advance.

NOTE: Museum members can purchase up to four (4) tickets beginning January 2, 2013. (Click here for membership information.) Groups of 10 or more may also purchase tickets beginning January 2. All advance sales are by walk-in or telephone only (251-575-7433) between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Come early! There’s lots to see and do!
Be sure to arrive early enough to enjoy Monroeville and the museum:

Museum exhibits
You will want to explore the Old Courthouse Museum and its main exhibits: “Old Courthouse: Heart of the Community,” “Harper Lee: In Her Own Words,” and “Truman Capote: A Childhood in Monroeville." During play production season the museum is open special hours: Tue & Wed, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Thur, Fri & Sat 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Sun 3 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Walking Tours
The self-guided walking tour brochure leads visitors to several points of interest including the Atticus Finch monument, the building which housed the office of A.C. Lee (Harper Lee’s father) and the nearby sites where Harper Lee and Truman Capote’s childhood homes were located. All of these sites are within an easy walk of the Courthouse Square.

Shop!
The Old Courthouse Museum Gift Shop has one of the best collections of Mockingbird-related items you’ll find anywhere. You can also browse our outstanding selection of books, gifts, artwork and locally produced crafts. There are also several antique shops, art galleries and other stores near the square.

Picnic
There are several nearby restaurants, but playgoers are welcome to enjoy a picnic on the courthouse lawn before the play.