To Kill a Mockingbird - Boston Children's Theatre

To Kill a Mockingbird
by Christopher Sergel
Based on the book by Harper Lee
Teacher Guide
YMCA Greater Boston
316 Huntington Avenue www.bostonchildrenstheatre.org main 617-424-6634
Boston, MA 02115 fax 619-367-8072

In This Guide
Boston Children’s Theatre Information
History of BCT, Upcoming class and audition information
Theatre Etiquette
Do’s and Don’ts of Audience Behavior
Theatre Vocabulary
Important terms to know
Biographies
Biographical information for Harper Lee and Christopher Sergel
Activities & Crafts
A list of activities and crafts that can be used to prepare for your theatre visit,
or to follow up with your class after seeing our production.
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About Boston Children’s Theatre
Boston Children’s Theatre was founded in 1951 as a stand-alone, non-profit
organization dedicated to presenting children’s theatre to a professional standard, offering
“live theatre for children by children.” BCT is one of the oldest theatrical companies in the
country.
Since 1951 BCT has touched the lives of over one million children through its live
classical and contemporary productions, classes, workshops, and summer programs. At BCT
students have the opportunity to develop as they train for various roles and are responsible
for all aspects of production. Students learn the inner workings of the theatre world and
explore their internal selves through their work.
Today, BCT offers a variety of opportunities for students including auditions, classes, and
workshops, which are detailed below. Boston Children’s Theatre provides a unique
opportunity for inner city and suburban kids to work together and has offered year-round
opportunities for young performers and audiences that are accessible, available, and
affordable for all families and youth.
Currently BCT offers the following opportunities for children of all ages:
Ongoing Auditions and Registration for various classes and productions
Centerstage Discovery
Centerstage Youth
Mini Musicals!
Music Theatre Scene Study
Intermediate Acting
Advanced Acting: The Actor’s Process
Music Theatre: Scene to Song
Master Classes: Music Theatre Dance, College Audition Review!, College Prep
For more information on any of these opportunities, please contact the theatre.
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Audience Etiquette
Coming to the theatre is a magical experience, much of that comes from the energy of
the actors and the connections audience members make with the performers on stage. In
order for the audience to have the opportunity to make these connections and enjoy their
experiences, several guidelines are observed in live theatre audiences. Those guidelines are
outlined here so that you may discuss them with your class and prepare students for what may
be the first live theatre experience for many.
Respect: Actors respect audience members by presenting their best work in a play.
Audience members respect actors and others in the audience by keeping themselves quiet,
still, and not talking during a performance. This includes talking to those around them, and
talking or texting on a cell phone. These things distract from the performance and can disturb
many of the people around you. Also, many theatres have their own rules that are always
respected. For example, food is not allowed in many theatres, so snacks and drinks may be in
the lobby, but inside the theatre, audiences are to focus on the performance so that they can
really be engaged.
Concentration and Listening: When audience members are focused on the performance
and listening carefully to the actors on stage, they remember more of the play and can enjoy
themselves as much as possible. If you are really listening there may be some parts of a play
that make you laugh or make you feel sad. These things are great as long as you are in control
of yourself and do not disrupt the performance. The more you concentrate on and react to
the performance you are watching, the more you will be able to share when you get back to
your classrooms or home with your families.
Appreciation: Actors love when you appreciate their hard work, as long as you make
sure you do it in an appropriate way and at the appropriate time. This is why audiences clap
or applaud at the end of a great scene, or song, and always at the end of the whole
performance. Clapping your hands lets the actors know you’re enjoying yourself and that you
like what they’re doing. A few good times to clap are: at the end of a scene, when the stage
goes dark, at the end of a song, when the curtain comes down on the stage, at the end of the
first act or half of the play, and at the end of the play when the actors bow to the audience.
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Theatre Vocabulary
There are many things that you will see in the theatre that you will not see in many
other places. Here is a list of vocabulary words that help students get familiar with the theatre
and some of the experiences they may have in the theatre, provided by the MA State
Frameworks. See the Activities and crafts section for a Theatre Vocabulary word search.
Casting: the selection of actors or performers.
Character: a person, animal, or entity in a story, scene, or play with specific distinguishing physical, mental, and attitudinal
attributes.
Characterization: the process of creating a believable “person” by exploring the physical, social, and psychological dimensions of a
role.
Conflict: tension between two or more characters or between action and ideas; the fundamental struggle that leads to crisis and
climax of a scene or play.
Drama: a composition in verse or prose intended to portray a character, or tell a story through action and dialogue, and designed for
theatrical performance.
Ensemble: the harmonious blending of the efforts of the many artists involved in a dramatic activity or theatrical production.
Gesture: the movement of a body part or combination of parts, with the emphasis on the expressive aspects of the move.
Improvisation: the spontaneous use of movement and speech to create a character or object in a particular situation. An intuitive
and immediate response rather than behavior that is rehearsed.
Performance: the imitation of life in front of at least one other person. In a broad sense, performance refers to the presentation of
any kind of entertainment, from play to rock concert, solo presentation to ensemble collaboration.
Playwright: one who writes plays; dramatist.
Properties (props): objects used on stage such as furniture, utensils, ornaments, and personal possessions.
Puppetry: the art of making puppets or presenting puppet shows.
Rehearsal: repeated practice in preparation for a public performance.
Scenes: the subdivision of an act in a play, identified by place and time.
Script: the written dialogue, description, and directions provided by the playwright.
Stage manager: the head of the production staff who, once the play opens, takes charge of the stage, the actors, and the crews.
Technical theatre: design and creation of sets, lighting, sound, properties, and costumes/makeup.
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Harper Lee
Biographies
Born Nelle Harper Lee on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama. Lee Harper
is best known for writing the Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller To Kill a
Mockingbird.. The youngest of four children, she grew up as a tomboy in a small
town. Her father was a lawyer, a member of the Alabama state legislature, and
also owned part of the local newspaper. For most of Lee’s life, her mother suffered
from mental illness, rarely leaving the house. One of her closest childhood friends
was another writer-to-be, Truman Capote Tougher than many of the boys, Lee
often stepped up to serve as Truman’s protector. Truman, who shared few
interests with boys his age, was picked on for being a sissy and for the fancy
clothes he wore.
In high school, Lee developed an interest in English literature. After
graduating she went to College in Montgomery. Lee stood apart from the other
students—she focused on her studies and on her writing. In her junior year, Lee
was accepted into law school. After her first year in the law program, Lee began
expressing to her family that writing—not the law—was her true calling. Returning
to her law studies that fall, Lee dropped out after the first semester. She soon
moved to New York City to follow her dreams to become a writer. While in the
city, Lee was reunited with old friend Truman Capote, one of the literary rising
stars of the time. She also befriended Broadway composer and lyricist Michael
Martin Brown and his wife Joy.
In 1956, Lee quit her job and devoted herself to her craft, and found an
agent with The Browns’ help. Working with editor Tay Hohoff, Lee finished the
manuscript in 1959. Soon Lee was engrossed her literary success story. In July
1960, To Kill a Mockingbird was published and picked up by the Book-of-the-
Month Club and the Literary Guild. The following year, To Kill a Mockingbird won
the prestigious Pulitzer Prize and several other literary awards. Horton Foote
wrote a screenplay based on the book and used the same title for the 1962 film
adaptation. Lee visited the set during filming and did a lot of interviews to support
the film. Earning eight Academy Award nominations, the movie version of To Kill a
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Mockingbird won four awards, including Best Actor for Gregory Peck’s portrayal of
Atticus Finch. The character of Atticus is said to have been based on Lee’s father.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Lee largely retreated from public life. She spent
some of her time on a nonfiction book project about an Alabama serial killer,
which had the working title The Reverend. But the work was never published. Lee
continues to live a quiet, private life in New York City and Monroeville. Active in
her church and community, she usually avoids anything to do with her still popular
novel.
Christopher Sergel
Christopher Sergel's interests and talents led him on many adventures
throughout the world. As captain of the schooner Chance, he spent two years in
the South Pacific; as a writer for Sports Afield magazine, he lived in the African
bush for a year; as a lieutenant commander during WWII, he taught celestial
navigation; as a playwright, his adaptation of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg,
Ohio was seen on Broadway. But throughout his life, his greatest adventure and
deepest love was his work with Dramatic Publishing. During this time, he wrote
adaptations of To Kill a Mockingbird, Cheaper By the Dozen, The Mouse That
Roared, Up the Down Staircase, Fame, Black Elk Speaks and many more. His love of
theatre and his caring for writers made him a generous and spirited mentor to
many playwrights here and around the world. His inspiration and integrity
attracted to the company fine writers including C.P. Taylor, Timberlake
Wertenbaker, Arthur Miller, Roald Dahl and E.B. White - to name just a few.
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Activities & Crafts
In this section, you will find a number of activities that you can do with your
class either to prepare for your visit to the theatre, or to reflect on the
performance you saw together. All activities have many variations and can be
added to and changed as needed for your students.
Activity 1: Prepare for the Performance
Read the novel with your class and use some of the following prompts for a discussion in
class, either to prepare for the performance, or as a reflection activity after you view the
performance.
1. How do Jem and Scout’s views of Boo Radley change during the book? Why does Jem cry
when the hole in the tree is filled with cement?
2. Compare and contrast the play with the novel. What elements were the same, and which
were different? Was there anything you felt could have been done differently in the play?
What and how?
3. Atticus tells the children several times that they need to walk in someone else's shoes
before judging the person. Describe times when Atticus, Scout or Jem walk in someone
else's shoes. How does this change how they view the situations? What role does this
advice play in sympathy and compassion?
4. Discuss race issues in this book. Why does Calpurnia speak differently around other black
people? Why does Mr. Raymond pretend he is drunk to help people cope with his mixed
marriage?
5. How does the trial and everything surrounding it change the town? Change Jem and
Scout? Did it change you?
6. At the end of the book, Scout says that telling people Boo Radley committed the murder
would have been "sort of like shootin' a mockingbird." What does that mean? Do you
agree that Boo is like a mockingbird?
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Activity 2: Create a Matching Game for Studying
After reading and discussing the story with your class, print the following template out
into cards and play a matching memory game with them to focus on remembering important
details from the story, and or characters. Make your own cards that focus on the topics
important in your class if you like. Each student can have their own set and use them to
prepare for the performance as well as studying for any classwork that may require them to
recall these kinds of details.
Runs away
from home
Takes Scout
to church
Who does
Jem read to
after school
Saves Scout
and Jem
Is accused of
rape
Dill
Calpurnia
Mrs. Dubose
Boo Radley
Tom Robinson
Shoots the
rabid dog
House burns
down
Hates Scouts’
overalls
Owns the
Maycomb
Newspaper
Attacks Scout
and Jem
Atticus
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Miss Maudie
Aunt
Alexandra
Mr.
Underwood
Bob Ewell

Activity 3: Sequence the Story
Print and cut the following events or make your own, and allow each student to mix up
and re-order the events of the story. This helps students remember the story in chronological
order and can include any number of events to suit your classroom needs. The following are
listed in the correct sequencing order.
Scout and Jem meet Dill.
Jem touches the Radley front door.
Jem and Scout build a snowman.
Miss Maudie’s house burns down.
Scout fights her cousin Francis.
Atticus shoots Tim Johnson.
Aunt Alexandra comes to live in Maycomb.
Tom Robinson is shot trying to escape prison.
Activity 4: Dramatize the Story
Jem’s arm gets broken.
Scout meets Boo Radley.
After reading the story aloud to your class, this activity may be done either in groups or
with all students simultaneously.
1. If all students are working simultaneously: You should choose several of the more
popular parts of the story, and act these things out together. Ask students how they
feel as these characters and what connections they can make to the characters in the
story. Students can also create frozen poses of their favorite character, and the rest
of the class can guess which character they are portraying.
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2. If students are working in small groups: First, tell the students to choose a scene
from the beginning, one from the middle, and one from the end of the play. In their
groups they will first create a frozen image to represent each of the three scenes
they chose. Next, they will show the scenes moving from one to the other in rolling
action, but in pantomime, without sound. Finally, the students may choose one or
two lines they would like to speak during their final rolling action. Focus should be
on clear physical representation first, and speaking second in this exercise.
3. A third option, if you have a smaller or a more advanced class is to actually dramatize
as you read through the story again. Assign roles to students, and encourage them
to act out what you are narrating as you read the story aloud.
Activity 5: Write to the Cast
Write to the actors (or draw a picture) about your favorite part of the play. Do you have
questions for the performers, or the playwright? What would you like to know more about?
What did you take away from the performance? Ask questions and share your own stories
with the cast!
Activity 6: Respond to the Play
Write a review for the play, what were your favorite parts? What would you have
changed about the play? What were some of the moments you remembered most? If you
could, what part would you play and how would you do it?
Discuss with your class connections they made to characters or moments in the play.
Students can either write about these thoughts or simply share them with a discussion group.
Discussions can also cover topics like: and/or questions students have about theatre and the
performance.
Activity 7: Create a Photo-Lit Collage
The following activity is from http://faculty.buffalostate.edu/beaverjf/nbd/kill9.htm and
is appropriate for older students. This activity allows students to deepen their understanding
of the setting and time of the novel, as well as providing a visual aid for understanding that
students who are more visually oriented will appreciate. Students will make connections with
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the story in another medium and will practice public speaking while explaining their collage
choices.
1. Select 6 photographs from the Great Depression which illustrate part of the setting of To Kill
a Mockingbird
2) Create a caption to describe each photo
3) Select and include an excerpt or quote from the novel to explain the photos and captions
4) Compile your photos, captions, and quotations to construct a collage
5) Present your collage to a small group or to the class, explaining your choices
Activity 8: Be a News Reporter
Encourage students to take on the role of journalist or news reporter and engage in one
of the following activities. Students will imagine themselves in the depression era and will
cover the Tom Robinson trial from their point of view, following one of the guidelines.
1. Write a news article describing the outcome of Tom Robinson's trial
2. Revise the outcome of Tom Robinson's trial the way you believe it should end, then
perform a skit for the class portraying the new ending.
3. Make a video of a news broadcast reporting on Tom Robinson's trial, then show the
video to the class.
Activity 9: Make Your Own Board Game
Create a game board tracing Scout and Jem’s journey through To Kill a Mockingbird. At
the various spaces players land on which are pivotal to events in the text, such as Mrs.
Dubose’s house, write a card in which you question the player about what Scout and Jem
learned at that place on the board. Accompany your game board with an explanation of how
your game reflects the plot, setting, characters, and themes in the novel. Use game pieces
that reflect a part of the story, and explain that in your presentation as well. Have a game day
in your class where all students can play each other’s games and share their work with each
other.
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Activity 10: Theatre Vocabulary Word Search
Encourage your students to find the theatre vocabulary words in the search below.
(Definitions provided in the THEATRE VOCABULARY section earlier in the guide) Words can be
found in any direction.
Casting
Character
Characterization
Conflict
Drama
Ensemble
Gesture
Improvisation
Performance
Playwright
Props
Puppetry
Rehearsal
Scenes
Script
Stage Manager
Technical Theatre
Z I Q W E R T G E S T U R E
K M Y U I T O G N I T S A C
P P S A P E D F S G N H J K
U R V C S C E N E S O X Z L
P O O B N H M B M Q I W S J
P V I P O N P G B V T K T C
E I U E S I Y T L R A E A O
T S F R D C S A E Q Z W G N
R A G F H A H J K L I M E F
Y T Z O X L C A V B R N M L
J I A R S T T D R F E G A I
F O Q M L H P K J A T H N C
Y N W A E E I R T Y C U A T
V Q N N M A R P A O A T G I
W C B C V T C C X M R Z E W
R E H E A R S A L J A K R R
K X Z V Y E B I R Q H R O D
P L A Y W R I G H T C N D F
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