EAST LANSING, Mich. — The national tour of the stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird is coming to East Lansing. The Wharton Center has announced that the play will be performed at Cobb Great Hall October 3-8.
The production will star Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch. Thomas is well known for playing John-Boy Walton in the television series The Waltons, which ran on CBS from 1972-1981. His other work includes The Unforgivable (2021), Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), and playing Frank Gaad in FX’s The Americans.
The play was directed by Bartlett Sher. Sher’s other stage directing work includes the 2023 Broadway revival of Camelot, the 2018 Broadway revival of My Fair Lady, and the 2008 Broadway revival of South Pacific. He went on to win a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for his work on South Pacific.
The stage adaption of To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin previously created the television series Sports Night, The West Wing, and The Newsroom. He also wrote and directed the films Being the Ricardos (2021), The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), and Molly’s Game (2017).
The play was designed by Miriam Buether. Costumes were designed by Ann Roth, and hair and wig designs were by Campbell Young Associates. Lighting is by Jennifer Tipton and sound is by Scott Lehrer. The production features an original score by Adam Guettel. Musical direction is by Kimberly Grigsby. Design adaptation and supervision is by Edward Pierce. The national tour is produced by Barry Diller.
To Kill a Mockingbird is set in Alabama in 1934. In the play, Atticus is a lawyer who defends Tom Robinson, a Black man who has been falsely accused of rape.
The play opened on Broadway in 2018. It went on to be nominated for 9 Tony Awards.
The play is based on the 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which was written by Harper Lee. A film adaption was released by Universal Pictures in 1962. The film was directed by Robert Mulligan, and starred Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, Mary Badham as Scout, and Phillip Alford as Jem. It went on to be nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film ended up winning three Oscars, including Best Actor for Peck’s performance.
To Kill a Mockingbird will be performed at Cobb Great Hall October 3-8. Tickets are available to purchase on the Wharton Center’s website.
