Footlight Players present ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’
Atticus (Nick Fischer) councils Tom Robinson (Caleb Braxton). (Marianne Austin)
Coshocton Footlight Players present “To Kill a Mockingbird” from the book by Harper Lee. Directed by Susan Metz Guthrie and produced by Marsha Cusin, the production speaks directly to troubled times through face to face interaction of race and justice in America. This production is dedicated in loving remembrance of Bettsy Gauerke.
Metz Guthrie has been the director of 23 plays beginning in the 1997-98 season. “I feel very honored,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed each one, but this one is very special. I have always wanted to direct it. This is my dream show, it really is. I had some apprehension about subject matter, getting a cast, all kinds of issues worrying about doing the show, but I got past that and here we are. The casting went very well. All those worries were unfounded in the end.”
There are 22 people in the cast.
“What I love is that of the 22 people, this is the first play for 11 of them,” Metz Guthrie said. “We have new people, we have all ages, we have all genders. That’s very exciting and that really warms my heart. These people are all really engaged in this show. We have seasoned people like Mickey Galadja who has been in many, many shows here. We have the whole spectrum from newcomer to very experienced. Including the production crew, we have about 62 people with about 40 people behind the scenes from box office to publicity, all that. It’s all very important to a good production. This is my dream come true and I can’t wait. I hope our audiences enjoy it. It’s been controversial since the book came out in the 1960s and the movie in 1962. It’s a highly charged story about racial issues, family issues, violence issues. I don’t think its suitable for children. I don’t think the subject matter is appropriate. We have children in the cast, our Scout is 11-years-old, our Dill is 13-years-old, and our Jem is 15-16. This is their first time on our stage. Scout is 11-years-old, and she has so many lines, but she has done a beautiful job learning her lines. They all have talent. There were some old-fashioned words used in those days in 1935 Alabama. It’s kind of a cautionary tale and we hope people will think about improving our world and our relationships with other people. We believe that this is very important.”
Atticus Finch is Nick Fischer’s role because he is a lot like Atticus in real life, very kind and gentle, very respectful and a respected person with a real sense of morality and doing what is right. “I think people will love his performance. Everybody is very good,” Metz Guthrie said.
Nathan Mayse makes the set design. “When I have an idea, he makes it happen,” Metz Guthrie said. “We don’t have the balcony in the courtroom, but we do have a slight elevation. We have kept our set simple, for one thing we have 22 people on stage in the courtroom scene. This whole group is essential, and everybody is working together so well.”
The character Atticus Finch played by Fischer is the small-town southern lawyer representing ideal human qualities of goodness, tolerance and decency.
“This is my seventh production for Footlight Players,” Fischer said. “I started in 2014. I was in ‘Sound of Music,’ ‘Bridges of Madison County,’ ‘Dial M for Murder,’ ‘Mamma Mia,’ and I was Sweeny Todd, last spring I was in ‘Grey Gardens’ and I was fortunate enough to be cast as Atticus Finch. It is quite a humbling role. He is the true spirit of the south and of the show. He’s the good guy and he looks for that in other people and doesn’t judge them. The message we’re presenting is history and sometimes history is ugly. If all history makes you feel good you are looking at it through rose colored glasses. It’s quite a story and I think it is still relevant today. I hope we are doing it justice. We put all of our heart and soul into it.”
Missy Grimmett plays Calpurnia, a role model and motherly figure in the lives of Atticus’ children Jem and Scout. “This is my first time ever being on stage,” she said. “I have gone to a play, and I was in a play in the fifth grade, so this is all very new to me. Susan’s husband recommended me for the part. She came to me and said to think long and hard about playing this part. I read the book because I had never read it before or seen the movie. There was a lot of emotions when I was reading the book. I said, ‘Yes, I would love to be a part of it.’ It needs to be said. People need to understand that this did happen and unfortunately it still happens and it’s not very nice. I play the Finches’ maid and mother figure. There is no mother in the house and he has entrusted me to take care of his kids. The character is very strict, very educated and she wants to make sure these kids are brought up the right way. I like that because that’s just me being with my own kids. I’m nervous, but I’m ready. It’s been wonderful. Everyone has been wonderful, very enjoyable to work with and very encouraging. We give each other hugs, applaud each other, high-fiving after scenes. That makes me feel so much better. They say after you hear that first applause you are going to know if you want to do it again or if you’re done. If I could have a role that wasn’t a focal point, I would probably do it again. We’ve got people of all ages and Susan said, ‘You are going to walk in not knowing anybody and when you leave you will have a new family and friends.’ I’m definitely in that category right now and I like it. ”
Mary Yaw McMullen is the costume designer and also plays Miss Maudie Atkinson a neighbor to the Finches as well as the narrator of the play. “I pay attention to everything that goes on, but I am a good neighbor,” McMullen said. “I am one of the few people in town who supports everyone. This is my first time onstage as a character, but I have done costume design before. I am a freelance costume designer by trade. I’ve been on stage, but this is my first time here. I’m excited. There are always nerves but I am very much looking forward to sharing this story with the community. I am very fortunate because my husband and daughter are also in the show. So, it’s kind of a family affair. My daughter Cora plays Scout, and my husband plays big bad Bobby Ewell.”
Caleb Braxton’s character is Tom Robinson a black man who works in a cotton field in Maycomb, Alabama. He is a generous man and a model citizen who is well liked by his employer and by members of the community. He has a wife and children and is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell.
“When I was younger in elementary school I had a small part here at Triple Locks,” Braxton said. “A lady from my church was doing a play here and it called for a bunch of kids, and we got to help her. I was really nervous then. I used to have a lot of social anxiety. Now I am a lot better. Susan lives across the street and my dad auditioned and they called and asked if I would like to be a part of ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird.’ Right now, I’m like, yeah I got this down, but my nerves are all down. The first night I think, my nerves will be all hitting me, and I’ll be like, ‘Oh No.’ But as I get into it, I will probably be alright. I would like to be in another production, it’s been fun so far.”
“To Kill a Mockingbird” will be performed Friday and Saturday, Sept. 9-10, 16-17, and 23-24 at 7:30 p.m. An opening night reception will be held Friday, Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. and a Sunday afternoon show is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 18 at 2:30 p.m. For tickets go to http://www.FOOTLIGHTPLAYERS.COM or call 740-622-2959.
The Triple Locks Theater is located at 685 N. Whitewoman St., in Coshocton.
Category: Arts & Entertainment
