“It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

The cast at rehearsal with director Christopher Jacobs (right)

But it is a virtue to sing a tale of a mockingbird’s death. Harper Lee did it with her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, and won a Pulitzer Prize. Film director Robert Mulligan adapted Lee’s novel for the big screen and won multiple Oscar awards. Next, the story was dramatised by playwright Christopher Sergel and since then, many theatrical companies have staged the play.

Now, Sergel’s To Kill a Mockingbird play is heading to Singapore, but twisted and amplified through director Christopher Jacobs’ and producer Sharon Ang’s vision.

So Youth.SG decided to grill Chris, Sharon and lead actress Yeo Yann Yann!

“This play has been in the list of things I want to do before I die for a long time.”
Circa 48 years back when Chris first came into contact with the classic novel. He fell in love with the story, but even more with the lead character Scout Finch and dreamt of marrying her. His love for the character grew even more when he watched the award-winning 1962 film adaptation of the novel as he saw the girl he admired on screen; he thought actress Mary Badham matched the Scout he had in his head.

Therefore, 48 years later, when producer Sharon approached Chris with To Kill a Mockingbird, he nearly screamed, “Of course I do!” And soon the cast came in place, in which the production crew immediately decided that Yeo Yann Yann (881) is the perfect adult Scout, even Yann Yann thinks so: “I was like Scout when I was a kid. Though I was quieter than Scout, I was very wild like her. I was totally a tomboy.” 

Producer Sharon Ang

Passion and prejudice
Unlike the novel, this play will focus on the psychological dynamics of confrontation between human beings. Thus, the play’s setting has no specific locale or historical period and will stage a generic communal society, which all audience can relate to emotionally. Sharon shared the reason for doing so: “People fixate To Kill a Mockingbird to racial issues. But when you put down the book and take a look at the theme and issue from a bigger perspective, you’ll realise that it is about prejudice and ignorance. Racial (discrimination) is just a representation of the prejudice problem and its ignorance. But it is just one of the issues.” 

Yeo Yann Yann taking the role of adult Scout Finch

On the same wavelength, Chris said he wants his audience to think not about the play, but about themselves and how they relate to humanity.

Partly because of Chris’ appreciation of Harper’s text, he expects a lot more from his crew, especially in being passionate in what they do.

Chris might not be able to change the level of their passion, but one thing he can control is to bring out more than what they are doing. To do so, he implements theatrical biomechanics.

Developed by Russian actor, director and theatrical teacher Vsevolod Meyerhold during the 1920s, biomechanics is a form of physical training that allow actors to think with their bodies and be aware of their relationship with their fellow performers. This heightens their awareness of space and rhythm, and improves their psychophysical existence as a ‘malleable instrument’.

“It works on the principle that the body says as much as the voice does in transmitting an idea. Meyerhold trained his actors to think with their bodies or allow their bodies to think at the same conscious level as the brain. The first thing to do is to teach them to walk again. The true way of walking is when you do distinctively without thinking,” described Chris.

Chris has even planned for his cast to rehearse without the lines from their script and to communicate through their body, which the cast has never tried before.

This play might be crossed out from Chris’ list of things he wants to do before he dies, but he expects this one to make an impact philosophically and psychologically.

To Kill a Mockingbird will run from Aug 14-23 at the Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel. Tickets are available from Sistic.

ELSEWHERE IN THIS WEEK'S ARTY MONDAY
Mass media charged with assaults on mankind 
First full length Turandot in SG  

THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF JUL 28-AUG 3 :: The Light Issue

Average user rating

   (0 vote)