American Cycle - To Kill a Mockingbird at Intiman

INTIMAN THEATRE ANNOUNCES ITS SCHEDULE OF AMERICAN CYCLE EVENTS FOR TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Free public programs include Front Porch Theater, a county-wide series of dramatic readings and conversations; an original performance created by Rough Eagles students from Cleveland and Roosevelt High Schools ; two humanities forums: Open Minds/Open Dialogue, moderated by Mimi Gan, and Writers & Artists with David Guterson; Core Audience participation and other events

SEATTLE— Intiman Theatre announces the schedule of free public programs for its upcoming American Cycle production of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, which will run September 14-October 28 at the Intiman Playhouse, 201 Mercer Street at Seattle Center .

To Kill a Mockingbird, adapted by Christopher Sergel and directed by Fracaswell Hyman, is the fourth production of The American Cycle, a five-year series that combines productions of classic American stories and opportunities for civic dialogue. The goals of the Cycle are to produce great art, cultivate curiosity, advocate for literacy, encourage an informed citizenry and understand interconnectedness.

American Cycle programs take place at Intiman and at venues across Puget Sound , ranging from neighborhood gathering spots, such as cafés and bookstores, to public institutions including libraries and museums. Each season Intiman works with a Community Committee of civic leaders who offer advice and expertise to ensure that these programs address the circumstances and concerns of our region. The Community Committee for this production is co-chaired by Virginia L. Anderson, President of Safeco Insurance Foundation, and Christian Halliburton, Associate Professor of Law at Seattle University School of Law.

Tickets for the production range in price from $10 to $50, and are available for purchase from www.intiman.org or over the phone from the Ticket Office at 206.269.1900. All of the public events are free; program descriptions, locations and dates follow.

Front Porch Theater

Front Porch Theater is an intimate, informal and county-wide series of opportunities for the public to take part in dramatic readings from To Kill a Mockingbird. The series takes place in venues that encourage spontaneous participation, for readers and for anyone who wishes to simply watch and listen. Each reading is followed by a conversation in which all the participants are invited to share their ideas about personal, social and political issues in their lives and our region.

This season, five Front Porch Theater readings (noted below) will be included as part of 4Culture’s Site-Specific 2007 King County Performance Network, in a collaboration between Intiman, the King County Library System and 4Culture. Several of the readings will directly coincide with national Banned Books Week (September 29–October 6), in recognition of To Kill a Mockingbird’s ranking as one of the 100 most challenged books in the country.

The complete schedule follows. A raffle for tickets to the play will be held at each location.

• Youngstown Cultural Arts Center , 4408 Delridge Way SW in West Seattle , in partnership with Arts Corps and agency neighbors, Tuesday, September 11, 7 pm
• Cafe Vega, 1918 E. Yesler Way in the Central District, in partnership with ColorsNW, Saturday, September 15 at 2 pm
• Seattle Public Library, Southwest Branch, Saturday, September 29, 2 pm
• Bellevue Regional Library*, Monday, October 1, 7 pm
• Federal Way Regional Library*, Thursday, October 4, 7 pm
• Burien Library*, Saturday, October 6, 2 pm
• Shoreline Library*, Tuesday, October 9, 7 pm
• Mockingbird Society, 2100 24th Ave S. , 1^st Floor Meeting Room, Friday, October 12, 6 pm
• Kirkland Library*, Monday, October 15, 7 pm
• Meany Middle School, Tuesday, October 16, 6 pm
• Seattle Public Library, Northgate Branch, Saturday, October 20, 2 pm
• South Seattle Community College, Olympic Hall, Thursday, October 25, 6 pm

* Locations are part of 4Culture’s Site-Specific 2007 King County Performance Network

Open Minds/Open Dialogue, moderated by Mimi Gan
Sunday, October 7 at 4:30 pm

Open Minds/Open Dialogue, one of two annual humanities forums, is a moderated community discussion that lifts the themes of the American Cycle productions to spark conversation about contemporary issues that are of direct relevance to our community. This season, Intiman and its Community Committee have explored Harper Lee’s story and what this classic novel teaches us about learning to see others with empathy.

Open Minds/Open Dialogue will ask the question, “Does Seattle have an empathy deficit?” to look beyond our region’s reputation for being pleasant and progressive, both on a personal level in relationship to courage and curiosity, and on a societal level in the context of class and race identity.

Moderator Mimi Gan is a reporter for KING 5’s Evening Magazine. She has won national recognition for her work, including two 2001 Gracie Allen Awards from American Women in Radio & Television for her Vietnam special and story on daughters of prison moms. She has also garnered two Iris Awards from the National Association of Television Programming Executives and eight Emmy awards, including best reporter and writer.

Open Minds/Open Dialogue, free and open to the public, will follow the matinee performance of To Kill a Mockingbird on Sunday, October 7. Seating will be general admission; patrons attending only the discussion should arrive at Intiman, 201 Mercer Street at Seattle Center , at 4:30 pm.

Rough Eagles Performance and Discussion

Tuesday, October 23 at 7 pm

One of the cornerstone American Cycle programs is Rough Eagles, a youth collaboration involving students from Seattle ’s Cleveland and Roosevelt High Schools. (The name is a combination of the two school mascots, the Roosevelt Rough Riders and the Cleveland Eagles.) This annual project brings together a continually evolving group of students who collaboratively write an original play, which they then perform on the Intiman stage. Each Rough Eagles production, developed with Intiman teaching artists, is inspired by the themes of that season’s American Cycle story and drawn from the students’ experiences and the issues they face, including race, economic disparities, education and the public school system, their personal stories and their family histories.

This season, prior to beginning rehearsals, the Rough Eagles participants—most of whom have no theater experience—are meeting throughout the summer to read and discuss To Kill a Mockingbird, and to attend shows produced by Intiman and other companies throughout Seattle.

The 2007 Rough Eagles performance will be at Intiman, 201 Mercer Street at Seattle Center , on the set of To Kill a Mockingbird, on Tuesday, October 23 at 7 pm, followed by a discussion and reception with the students. It is free and open to the public; seating will be general admission.

Writers & Artists with David Guterson
Sunday, October 28 at 4:30

The Writers & Artists series, the second of the humanities forums, focuses on the literary and artistic achievements of the writers whose works are the foundation of The American Cycle. This season, Intiman will host David Guterson for a free public lecture and question-and-answer session on Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Guterson was born in Seattle , where his father has been a distinguished criminal defense attorney for nearly 55 years. Harper Lee’s novel was one of the inspirations for his 1994 award-winning debut novel, Snow Falling on Cedars. “I followed very much the same structure [of To Kill a Mockingbird] and addressed the same concerns. No other book had such an enormous impact,” he has said. “I read it 20 times in 10 years and it only [got] richer, deeper and more interesting.”

The Writers & Artists discussion, free and open to the public, will follow the matinee performance of To Kill a Mockingbird on Sunday, October 28. Seating will be general admission; patrons attending only the discussion should arrive at Intiman, 201 Mercer Street at Seattle Center , at 4:30 pm.

Core Audience

Intiman launched The American Cycle with the participation of a Core Audience, a diverse group of engaged and committed citizens who volunteer to see all five plays and attend community programs in support of the initiative. The Core Audience meets for productions, events and conversations throughout Intiman’s season as a model for arts-animated community building.

The American Cycle Community Committee

To create a deep and local resonance for its American Cycle productions, Intiman works with Community Committees of citizens who offer expertise and guidance to help us address the specific circumstances and concerns of our region through the initiative’s programs. Members of the To Kill a Mockingbird Committee are:

Virginia L. Anderson, Co-Chair, President, Safeco Insurance Foundation

Christian Halliburton, Co-Chair, Associate Professor of Law, Seattle University School of Law

· Zahra Abasheikh, Rough Eagles participant 2006; Cleveland High School Sophomore

· Malcolm Anderson, Rough Eagles participant 2006; Cleveland High School Junior

· Andrew Block, Compton Fellow, Youth Network for Change

· Bei-Bei Chen, Rough Eagles participant 2006; Roosevelt High School Junior

· Jeff Cofer, Core Audience; American Studies Chair, Bellevue Community College

· Tom Darden, Consultant for Global Health

· Lisa Fitzhugh, Executive Director, Arts Corps

· Chris Higashi, Associate Director, Washington Center for the Book, Seattle Public Library

· Naomi Ishisaka, Editor-in Chief, ColorsNW Magazine

· Jonathan "Mac" Macaranas, Assistant Vice President, Corporate and Employee Giving, Washington Mutual

· Lora Fassett Mason, Intiman Trustee and Chair of the Education Committee

· Margit Rankin, former Executive Director, Seattle Arts & Lectures

· Magdaleno Rose-Avila, former Executive Director, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project

· Deborah Rosen, Board of Governors, American Jewish Committee

· Princess Shareef, Principal, Meany Middle School

· Jeff Young, Board Member/Instructor, Arts Corps

Sponsorship

The American Cycle is sponsored in part by WaMu, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, PONCHO, The Boeing Company, Metropolitan King County Council, Microsoft Corporation, The William Randolph Hearst Foundations and Ameriprise Financial.

For more information, visit www.intiman.org