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Cast Breakdown: To Kill a Mockingbird
TITLE:
To Kill a Mockingbird
AUTHOR(S):
Adapted by Christopher Sergel, based on the novel by Harper Lee.
TYPE:
Drama in two acts
SYNOPSIS:
Set in the small town of Maycomb , Alabama during the Great Depression, the play centers on the experiences of Scout Finch, an eight year old tomboy whose father is an attorney, a fact that Scout finds boring and embarrassing. Atticus Finch, a humbly honorable man, is called on to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, falsely charged with raping a local white woman. This alleged crime ignites passions which erupt into physical and moral violence, as it also ignites a passion for justice.
CHARACTERS:
NAME: Jean Louis Finch (Scout)
AGE RANGE:
Scout is courageous and forthright. If a question occurs to her, she'll ask it. The world and her place in it are often confusing and alarming to her, but she struggles to learn - and she succeeds.
9 to 10
NAME: Jeremy Finch (Jem)
AGE RANGE:
Scout's older brother, Jem is reaching out to understand their unusual and thus not conventionally admirable father. This is the strongest undercurrent for Jem.
11 to 12
NAME: Atticus Finch
AGE RANGE:
Atticus is reserved, civilized, honest, and quietly impressive. He does what he considers to be just, courageously and without heroics, and he's trusted "to do right."
40 to 50
NAME: Calpurnia
AGE RANGE:
Black, proud, and capable, she's raised the motherless Scout and Jem with uncompromisingly high standards - and discipline. Calpurnia is indispensable to the Finch household in important ways.
30's to 40's +
NAME: Charles Baker Harris (Dill)
AGE RANGE:
About as old as Jem, he's wise beyond his years and more sophisticated than Jem and Scout. He senses something in Atticus that's missing in his own family.
11 to 12
NAME: Maudie Atkinson
AGERANGE:
Miss Maudie is the Finch's neighbor, younger than Atticus, but of his generation. She's wise, sweet, sensitive, compassionate, the best of the South at that time.
40 to 45+
NAME: Walter Cunningham
AGERANGE:
A hard-up farmer raised with the prejudices of this time and place, but not without a humanity which allows him to make the right decision when needed.
35 to 45
NAME: Reverend Sykes
AGERANGE:
Minister of The First Purchase Church, Rev. Sykes is an imposing black man with a strong stage presence. His voice speaks with quiet power. He respects Atticus Finch and trusts him to do his best for Tom Robinson.
40's to 50's
NAME: Heck Tate
AGERANGE:
The town sheriff, Mr. Tate enforces the law without favor, but he's capable of making judgments and acting on them when he sees it as his moral duty.
40 to 50's
NAME: Stephanie Crawford
AGERANGE:
Also a neighbor, Miss Stephanie enjoys her position of town gossip so much that it's almost humorous. She just loves to stir things up!
35 to 45
NAME: Arthur Radley (Boo)
AGERANGE:
No one in Maycomb has seen Boo Radley outside his house in fifteen years. However, Boo keeps a caring watch on his neighbors, the Finch's, and this leads to an extraordinary event in his and their lives.
40's
NAME:Mrs. Dubose
AGERANGE:
An old woman whose chronic pain makes her mean and angry. But she's courageously fighting a personal battle which is a poignant lesson for Jem and Scout.
50 to 60+
NAME:Tom Robinson
AGERANGE:
A vital black man with a wife and children, he faces up to the false charge of rape with dignity. When his humanity is challenged, he remains kind, considerate, and sensitive. Tom is a hard worker, courteous, and has never given his employer "a speck of trouble."
30's to early 40's
NAME:Judge Taylor
AGERANGE:
Though he's a man of the South, he tries to run his court impartially. Still, he wants to see justice done, and his sympathy is with Tom Robinson.
50's to 60+
NAME:Mr. Gilmer
AGERANGE:
As public prosecutor, his job is to convict Tom, and his manner is sometimes cruel and hurtful. Despite this, it seems that his heart isn't in his work. He has doubts.
mid 30's to 50+
NAME:Bob Ewell
AGERANGE:
A vociferous racist, Bob Ewell is full of prideful ignorance. He seeks to be the town hero when he testifies at the trial, but when Atticus exposes Ewell's malice and destroys his credibility, he becomes outraged, frustrated, and vengeful.
40's to early 50's
NAME:Mayella Ewell
AGERANGE:
The oldest daughter of widower Bob Ewell, Mayella is burdened with caring for her many siblings and her father. Overworked, lonely, and vulnerable, she reaches out for companionship in the only way she knows, with tragic results.
16 to 18
NAME:Court Clerk
AGERANGE:
30 to 50's
NAME:
AGERANGE:
Farmers, Townspeople, Members of Rev. Sykes' congregation, Mob in front of the jail, Spectators at the trial.
