Set in Maycomb, Alabama in 1934, To Kill a Mockingbird has provided American literature with some of its most indelible characters: lawyer Atticus Finch, the tragically wronged Tom Robinson, Atticus’ daughter Scout, her brother Jem, their housekeeper and caretaker Calpurnia and the reclusive Arthur “Boo” Radley. For the past six decades and for every generation, this story, its characters and portrait of small-town America have helped to, and continue to, inspire conversation and change.
Harper Lee’s enduring story of racial injustice and childhood innocence has sold more than 45 million copies of the novel worldwide. 2020 marked the 60th anniversary of its publication.
Before the Broadway shutdown in March 2020, To Kill a Mockingbird continuously played to standing-room-only houses. Since performances began on Thursday 1 November 2018, the production has not played to an empty seat, with capacity remaining over 100% for every performance. On February 26, 2020, the cast of To Kill a Mockingbird gave a history-making performance of the play at Madison Square Garden, for 18,000 New York City school children.
This was the largest single performance of a theatrical work in the history of world theater. In 2019, to culminate National “Theatre in Our Schools” month, Aaron Sorkin, Bartlett Sher, and members of the Broadway cast took the play to Washington, D.C. for an unprecedented special presentation at the Library of Congress, in partnership with the Educational Theatre Association.
