TO Kill A Mockingbird: Analysis

I attended the play On  October 12, 2012

To kill a Mockingbird is an intense novel. It is set in a small town, arguably in the south, yet the novel is simply the observations of the narrator, Scout. In reality the background of  the author is much like the scenery she depicts from the novel. She grew up in the small town of Monroeville, Alabama. In the end the book is significant and memorable, but nothing is better than experiencing a performance of theatre about an amazing work of art. Since the novel does not have exact scenic instructions, it allows space of mind to create a distinction in the play. I witnessed a play put on by the San Jose State Theatre production, about two weeks ago. The experience was unforgettable, I enjoyed being part of such wonderful play. I was familiar with the book but i had never seen a reenactment of the book. I have to give recognition to the theatre program here at San Jose State for putting such a great show together, I cannot give a name to thank, because everyone in the production did great, and i went to the second to last show, which means most of them were all exhausted, and even then the performance was splendid.

The school play

The play was set up stupendously. The time of the play was at 7, which already sets up a dark theme for the play. The novel, is well known to have a dark setting throughout the entire plot, except the days in the courthouse. In the play, I saw the lighting and the setup complemented the scene. It was a dark feel, but not necessarily dark on the stage. I also found the music to be quite helpful to the conjunction of the play. Just look at the lighting in the scene to the Left as a mob tries to attack Tom Robinson

John Megna as Dill in the !962 Film

I found one thing to  be quite interesting was the character of Dill. In the novel, I'm sure that the character was a guy, yet in the play, the character was played by a girl. I believe that was significant because in context it is thought that Dill is based on one of Harper Lee's closest childhood friend Truman Capote, yet in the novel there is a question mark about his sexuality. He does tell Scout he will marry her, but yet Scout is and could easily be confused as a guy. That seems a bit irrational, but it who can really judge that. This is where the ability for a distinction comes to play, allowing the director to differ from the novel. There might be a reason for putting a girl to play Dill. The size might be the reason, or the voice, or it is as simple as thats what the director wanted to portray.

Liz Marsden in The school play