Town & Gown Returns to Prickett's Fort

Fairmont State University’s Town & Gown Players is excited to return to Prickett's Fort Amphitheatre with To Kill a Mockingbird, based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee's observations of her family and neighbors, and an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 10 years old.

A heartwarming coming-of-age story, the play is filled with warmth and humor, despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality. The action grows out of the memories of the play's narrator Jean Louise Finch, nicknamed Scout in her childhood. Scout's father, Atticus, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his children against prejudice.

Political historian Joseph Crespino wrote, "In the twentieth century, To Kill a Mockingbird is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its protagonist, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism."

The Town & Gown Players have brought quality theatre to the North Central WV community for more than 50 years. This year is special as the Players return to the beautiful environment of the Prickett's Fort Amphitheatre.

The show is directed by Troy Snyder. The cast includes: Teresa Smallwood, Gwen Timbrell, Hank Temple, Rob Howard, Rowan Nelson, Tracy Evans, Seret Cole, Paige Shircliffe-Bowser, Bev Slagle, Steven Paugh, Justin Allan, Colby Collins, John Fallon, John O’Connor, Kyle Stewart, Shannon Yost, Antonio Dobbs, Scott McCutcheon, and Jahred King.

To Kill a Mockingbird will be presented at the Prickett's Fort Amphitheatre on June 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, and 24 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $8 for kids 12 and under, and can be purchased by calling the box office at (304) 367-4240. Tickets purchased at the Fort on the evening of the performance may only be paid for with cash or check.

While the play is appropriate for all ages, its language accurately depicts Depression era attitudes toward race that are now commonly considered to be offensive.

Troy SnyderDr. John O'ConnorSchool of Fine Arts. TheatreTo Kill a Mockingbird