TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Adventures with Scout, Jem and Dill

Arizona Theatre Company’s Literary Manager Jennifer Bazzell and Dramaturgical Intern Kelli Marino discussed our upcoming production of To Kill a Mockingbird with the three incredible young actors playing Scout (Daria LeGrand, who is 12 years old), Jem (Adam Moffitt, who is 13 years old) and Dill (Christopher Moffitt, who is nine years old). The actors opened up about what they learned from the story and their experiences rehearsing the show with the cast and director Samantha K. Wyer at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, where the co-production begins. 

Q: Daria, you are playing Scout in ATC’s production of To Kill a Mockingbird.  From where did you draw your character inspiration?  Do you have a lot in common with Scout?

Daria:  Much of my inspiration for Scout came from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. There are so many intricate details about each character and the county as a whole. Each time I read any part of the book, I find something new and interesting in the text that I hadn’t noticed originally. I have also watched the movie many times and have closely observed Mary

Badham’s character depiction. To create a real and believable character, I make sure I understand every piece of the story and script and I experiment with different ways to portray the character. Background information on the time period, setting, etc. is also very helpful. I do think I have some things in common with Scout. I’m not a complete tomboy, but I’m not completely girly either. Scout is very inquisitive, and I am too. However, I am about three years older than Scout and enjoy fashion and dancing.  

Q:  Christopher, you are playing Dill in ATC’s production of To Kill a Mockingbird.  How did you create your character?  How is your character like you?  How is he different?

Before we started rehearsing, I read the book.  When our cast started rehearsing, we began the rehearsals by going through the script very carefully with the director.  We discussed why our character said what they said, talked the way they talked, and acted the way they acted. I play Dill, a boy who comes to visit Maycomb, Alabama from Mississippi.  He has a good imagination and likes adventure.  He’s considered rich but his parents don’t take interest in him so he runs away from home. They can buy him things but he thinks that they would get along better without him.  Like Dill, I also have a good imagination.  I like adventure but don’t think I’m as wild as Dill, running away on a train by himself.  Unlike Dill, my parents take a lot of interest in me!

Q: Adam, you play Jem, the older brother of Scout in this production.  And in real life you’re an older brother to Christopher, who plays Dill.  Could you draw on your real experience as an older brother for the show?

Adam: The age difference between Scout and Jem is the exact same age difference between Christopher and me.  I think Harper Lee does a great job portraying the sibling relationship.  Jem loves Scout and would do anything for her.  But he can also find his younger sister very annoying.  I also love my brother and we have a lot of great times together and play together a lot.  But sometimes he can drive me nuts!  Scout is very headstrong and does not like being told what to do. She follows me around and wants to do everything I do. Surprisingly, my brother in real life acts very much the same way. Also, in the show, Scout and I have many “disagreements” and, in some cases, get into fights.   I have to say, Christopher and I sometimes do the same thing.  But, like Jem and Scout, we’re always playing together again after a few minutes.

Q:  Christopher, what are your feelings about working with your brother in a rehearsal hall?  Was it fun?  Did it make it easier or harder to have him there?

Christopher:  I liked working with my brother.  We had a lot of fun together.  We have been in four other shows together but they were with a lot of other kids.  There are only three kids in this show so it was very different.  In our regular lives, we go to separate schools and get involved in lots of activities.  But with this show, we got to have a big adventure together.  We were together all the time and, since we were traveling, we didn’t really know other people nearby so we only had each other to play with.  We even have school tutoring together and I get to study some of Adam’s subjects and our tutor gives me assignments out of his books.  That’s really cool!  I especially like his 8th grade history!  At rehearsal, he would help me make sure I didn’t miss an entrance if I was reading a really good book (we both like to read a lot).  During rehearsal breaks in Kansas City, we get to go sledding on a really great hill in front of the theatre!  When the show started, we got to share a dressing room.  That’s a lot of fun because we get to play music in our room and sing together.  Sometimes we’re together a little too much and have some disagreements (usually involving video games or making fun of each other), but we are getting to do a lot of cool things together that we will always remember!

Q: Daria, what do you like most about acting in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Daria: It is an amazing experience to perform with such wonderful and accomplished actors. Everything feels so real; nothing is forced or contrived. This is my first straight drama. Most of my previous work has been in musical theatre, so it has been great to learn from amazing directors and actors.

Q: What about you, Christopher? What did you learn from Samantha and the other actors? 

Christopher: I learned a lot about the story of To Kill a Mockingbird.   Samantha taught us how to think about every word we say and why we say it.  This story is about people of different races and different ages and how they treat each other.  All of the actors in this show taught me how to be a kind, nice person because they have been kind and nice each day, even after long hours of rehearsing.  The actors are very talented and it’s so cool watching them become someone else when they play their characters.  I don’t know many other ways that 9 year old kids like me get to meet really smart and talented grown-ups of different races from around the country and get to spend a lot of time with them and become good friends.  I’m very lucky.

Q: Adam, what was your favorite part of working with Samantha and the cast?  Do you have a favorite scene?  Which one and why?

It was so cool working with Samantha and the cast. They all have a depth of experience and it is really interesting to see how everybody acts different. They are all really great! Samantha has an incredible style of directing and she goes into great detail on why a character does something, which makes the show really connect.  Samantha is really respected as a director because she is smart and calm and pays attention to details.  She never yells and walks over to talk to people rather than raising her voice.  Everyone respects her as a director because she shows respect to everyone in the cast and on the production staff.  She treats everyone as a professional and so they do their best with their skills and talents to make every part of the show really great.  There are so many great scenes in the show.  Some are funny and some are very thoughtful.  I like the scene when Atticus talks to Jem about “real courage” after the mean, horrible Mrs. Dubose dies after freeing herself from her morphine addiction.  I have to say my favorite scene is when Bob Ewell attacks the children at the end of the show because it shows how much Jem cares about his sister.  When they hear sounds in the woods, Jem tries to comfort his sister by pretending to not be scared.  Then, when they are violently ambushed by Bob Ewell, Jem keeps on trying to protect Scout from Bob Ewell’s attacks.

Q: Adam, what did you find challenging in the rehearsal process?

Adam:  The most challenging part of the rehearsals was getting the dialect right.  We didn’t use a general Southern drawl.  We actually studied the dialect of rural Alabama.  It was also hard because each character has a certain Southern dialect that is unique to his background and upbringing and personality. The blocking was also challenging because you have to find a reason to do everything you do, such as moving to a spot on stage.  You don’t just move there because you were told to.  You have to have a reason to move there.

Q:  Daria, the play is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, a very different time and place from where you live.  What realities of the world of the play were the most surprising to you?

Daria: In the 1930s, life for children was drastically different. Many gaming systems and toys that kids today take for granted weren’t invented then. I think kids were more creative then because inventing fun games and activities was an entertaining pastime. I was also surprised at the tightly-knit circle of the community. Everyone knew who everyone else was, where they came from, who their relatives were, etc. People were always in their neighbors’ business and gossip was common.   

Q: Adam, racism is one of the central themes of To Kill a Mockingbird.  What did you learn about racism from this experience?

Adam:  The hate and anger between whites and blacks is so intense in To Kill a Mockingbird.  It is shocking and very upsetting. Although the book has been called a “softened novel on racism,” it is still almost repulsive. It is hard to believe that blacks were so set down in society, for no reason but the color of their skin. 

Q: Daria, what has To Kill A Mockingbird taught you as a person? As an actor?

Daria: I have learned so much, both as a person and as an actor during this play.  As a person, I have learned so much about the Depression era, Alabama in the 1930s, segregation, and racism.  As an actor, I have learned to stay in the moment of the play and to make everything believable.  It makes everything easier as an actor to be performing with the talented actors in the cast.

 Q: Christopher, what will you take away from the To Kill A Mockingbird experience?

Christopher: I learned a lot about being responsible.  Rehearsals started on time, not a minute late.  We were expected to learn our lines and remember our blocking on our own.  We would be given notes about corrections and everyone accepts each note professionally and tries hard to never get that note again.  There’s a lot to remember every minute in a show like this so I learned how to work hard.  I think the biggest lesson I will learn from To Kill a Mockingbird is from Atticus’ talk and example about “walking in another man’s shoes.”  I hope that I can always try to understand why people act or think differently by understanding where they come from.  Atticus works hard to do the right thing even when people are mean and rude to him.  I want to have the courage to do the right thing too.