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Community National Bank and North Iowa Area Community College are pleased to sponsor To Kill a Mockingbird, the timeless story authored by Harper Lee and adapted to the stage by Christopher Sergel.  To Kill a Mockingbird, performed by the Montana Repertory Theatre (Montana Rep), will take the stage at the North Iowa Community Auditorium on Saturday, February 21, at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are on sale now and cost $25 in advance or $30 at the door.

Harper Lee's Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, now celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its publication, was brought to the screen in an Academy Award-winning adaptation by Horton Foote in 1962 and was later adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel.    Though over 35 years old, this stage adaptation continues to compel and delight viewers worldwide with its warmth, wit and wisdom. 

To Kill a Mockingbird is a story of justice, acceptance, growing up and forgiveness that continues to touch each new generation of theater goers with its power and inspiration.  Audiences find themselves transported to a sleepy Southern town in the 1930s and discover that the issues of that time—prejudice, racism, and human values—are issues of all time.  Witness this classic tale unfold and its colorful characters develop as fifteen actors combined with a crew of seven bring you a compelling performance of To Kill a Mockingbird.  

Greg Johnson, Artistic Director for the Montana Repertory Theatre, recalls his first encounter with the Harper Lee novel: “Like many other fourteen-year olds of my generation, I was asked to read To Kill a Mockingbird over my summer vacation. Sitting on the warm sand of the Jersey shore, about to embark on my high school career, I cracked the binding of Harper Lee's incredible story about Scout, Tom Robinson, Boo Radley and Atticus Finch, and instantly fell in love…in love with the poetry of the language, with the sassiness of Scout, the quiet dignity of Tom, the mystery of Boo, and ultimately with the courage of Atticus. He was the father we all wanted. This is the story we all grew up with. My life changed in that summer of '62. I would never again look at prejudice, intolerance, the South, or family with the same eyes.

All grown up now, I am fortunate, thanks to Christopher Sergel's honest and compelling adaptation, to reacquaint myself with this quintessential American tale and to once again share it with our audiences.”

Established as the theatre in residence at the School of Fine Arts at the University of Montana, Montana Rep has been providing top-quality theatre to audiences across the country since 1968. Montana Rep has a long history of touring American classics to cities large and small. It is their passion, artistry and strong production values that have them returning to communities year after year. Recent highly successful tours have included Lost in Yonkers, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Trip to Bountiful and Steel Magnolias and past seasons have included works by Tennessee Williams, Wendy Wasserstein, Neil Simon, Arthur Miller, Eugene O'Neill, Horton Foote, Ken Ludwig and William Gibson.

For tickets to the performance of To Kill a Mockingbird, call the NIACC Box Office at 1-888-466-4222, ext. 4188.  Tickets may also be purchased online at www.niacc.edu.  Platinum sponsors for the 2008-2009 series include NIACC, Globe Gazette Elizabeth Muse Norris Charitable Fund; the Globe Gazette; Alliant Energy; Community National Bank; Henkel Construction; and Principal Financial Group.  Gold sponsors include Diamond Jo Casino; First Citizens National Bank; First State Bank of Belmond; Kraft; Mercy Medical Center – North Iowa; Martin, Cooney, MacNider & Cooney, Financial Consultants of Raymond James and Associates, Inc.; Dr. Gary W. Swenson and Dean A. Genth; and Sukup Manufacturing.  In kind sponsors include Country Inn and Suites; KIMT; and Pepsi.

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