On February 26, 2020 America’s Most Successful Play Takes Center Stage at the World’s Most Famous Arena
HARPER LEE’S
“TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD”
A NEW PLAY BY AARON SORKIN
TO BECOME FIRST-EVER BROADWAY PLAY TO PERFORM
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
WITH ENTIRELY FREE PERFORMANCE
FOR 18,000 NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS
NEW YORK, Dec. 18, 2019 — Producers Scott Rudin and Barry Diller, with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza, announced today that the Broadway production of To Kill a Mockingbird, Aaron Sorkin’s new play, directed by Bartlett Sher, and based on Harper Lee’s classic novel, will become the first-ever Broadway play to perform at The World’s Most Famous Arena, New York’s Madison Square Garden, on February 26, 2020, in front of approximately 18,000 New York City public school students. With the extraordinary support of James L. Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company, this unprecedented, single-performance event will be entirely free to students of New York City Department of Education public middle and high schools from all five boroughs.
This special performance will feature the entire Broadway cast, led by Ed Harris as Atticus Finch.
“This is an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and will undoubtedly have an indelible impact on our students for years to come,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “In New York City, we’re making record investments in arts education, and we thank the producers, artists, and everyone at Madison Square Garden for their incredible generosity in bringing the arts to life for our school communities.”
“Madison Square Garden has been the backdrop of a number of entertainment firsts over its history – but few have been as impactful or important as the upcoming performance of To Kill A Mockingbird,” said James L. Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company. “This show will mark the first time a Broadway play has appeared at The World’s Most Famous Arena, which will give thousands of New York City students the chance to witness the incredible power of live theater – an experience we know they will never forget. We applaud Scott Rudin and Barry Diller’s vision for bringing this celebrated production to life on such a grand scale, and look forward to working with their teams, as well as with the Department of Education, on this extraordinary event, which we hope will be the first of many.”
To Kill a Mockingbird holds the title of the most successful American play in Broadway history. The production has now amassed a total gross of more than $100,000,000, and continues to play to standing-room-only houses. Since performances began on Thursday, November 1, 2018, To Kill a Mockingbird has not played to an empty seat, with capacity remaining over 100% for every performance. As previously announced, To Kill a Mockingbird will launch its coast-to-coast National Tour in August 2020 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and will open at London’s Gielgud Theatre in May 2020.
Set in Alabama in 1934, Harper Lee’s enduring story of racial injustice and childhood innocence centers on one of the most venerated characters in American literature, the small-town lawyer Atticus Finch, played four-time Academy Award® nominee and two-time Golden Globe Award® winner Ed Harris. Joining Mr. Harris are Nick Robinson as Jem Finch, Eliza Scanlen as Mayella Ewell, Kyle Scatliffe as Tom Robinson, LisaGay Hamilton as Calpurnia, Nina Grollman as Scout Finch, Taylor Trensch as Dill Harris, Manoel Felciano as Horace Gilmer, Russell Harvard as Link Deas and Boo Radley, M. Emmet Walsh as Judge Taylor, Patricia Conolly as Mrs. Dubose, Christopher Innvar as Sheriff Heck Tate, William Youmans as Mr. Roscoe and Dr. Reynolds, Neal Huff as Bob Ewell, Ted Koch as Mr. Cunningham, Liv Rooth as Ms. Stephanie, and ensemble members Rosalyn Coleman, Gene Gillette, Luke Smith, Yaegel T. Welch, Rebecca Watson, Aubie Merrylees, David Manis, Baize Buzan, Steven Lee Johnson, and Geoffrey Allen Murphy.
(All tickets are provided free and exclusively to New York City public middle and high schools through the New York City Department of Education. No other tickets will be available).
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