Submitted by Harlequin Productions
“Theater has always been a mirror to society, a sharp reflection of who we are.”
~Edward Albee
Live theater has the power to entertain us, challenge us, and empower us to make changes. Sometimes theater enriches us with perspectives we’ve never considered before. Other times, it serves as a mirror reflecting us as we are – no matter how much we might not like what we see.
From August 20 to September 12, 2015, Harlequin Productions is staging Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel, at the State Theater in downtown Olympia. Harper Lee’s American literary classic won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960, has been translated into more than forty languages and sold more than forty million copies. An award-winning film starring Gregory Peck was released in 1962, bringing the beloved tale to uncounted millions more. Today, Harper Lee’s timeless story is as relevant as it’s ever been.
Mockingbird gained instant renown due to its bold and honest exploration of issues surrounding racial inequality and prejudice. These are the same conversations we’re having today. The news is swamped with issues from #BlackLivesMatter, to the nation-wide confederate flag debate, to Donald Trump’s recent remarks about Hispanics. The State Theater is situated on 4th Avenue downtown where just a few weeks ago, protesters marched in the hundreds calling for justice following the local police shooting of two black men. Clearly, the issues discussed in Harper Lee’s story are issues we are still struggling with today. And not just nationally, but right here in our community.
Following the matinee performance on Sunday September 6, Harlequin is hosting a forum led by local attorney and human rights activist Reiko Callner, whose mother was held in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Reiko is the current Olympia Chapter Co-President of the Japanese American Citizens’ League, as well as the Executive Director for the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct and the former Chair of the State Human Rights Commission. She wrote the hate crimes ordinance for the City of Olympia and is one of the founding members of the anti-hate crime organization, Unity in the Community. Reiko was the recipient of the YWCA’s Woman of Achievement Award for Social Justice in 2000 and the Capital City Pride Day Award in 2005. All those in attendance at the Sunday matinee performance of To Kill a Mockingbird are invited to stay after to take part in this discussion. Anyone with a ticket stub for any other performance during the run may also attend the forum on a first come, first seated basis. More post-show forums may be added during the performance run of the show.
As many great plays do, To Kill a Mockingbird reflects who we are and the issues we’re still struggling with. Let’s look into the mirror, Olympia. We may not like everything we see, but it’s as important now as ever that we talk about it.
