I'm rather ashamed to admit that in the beginning I wasn't overly excited about this show... I think that stemmed from not really knowing the story. I mean, I knew what it was about, I'd seen the movie years ago (and I'm afraid I thought it rather boring at the time...), but there's a difference between knowing something in your head and knowing it in your heart.
When I was cast, I hoped that it would be a good learning experience, that I would be challenged and stretched as an actress, even though I've had this type of role before. To be honest, originally, I didn't really want this role because on the surface it was so similar to other things I've done before and I much prefer to change things up. But I chose to leave it in the Lord's hands and decided that if I were cast, I would accept the role, no matter what it was. And of course, like so many times before, I got the part I would have preferred not to get...and like those previous times, I fell in love with it anyway and realized that it was God's orchestration. And He knows what He's doing, Hallelujah!
So as I started to study the script, I began to see that there was a lot more to this role, to this story, than I originally thought...a lot more. Maybe it's just me, but as a general rule, I tend to shy away from things that everybody raves about, be it a book, a movie, a clothing style, whatever. I mean, if everybody loves it, it can't be very original for me to love it, too! (Can you tell I have a slightly independent spirit?) So those 'popular' kinds things, I usually take with a grain of salt and a lot of skepticism.
And then I read the book. Oh, boy. I'm a firm believer in always reading the book in preparation for a literature-based show, but I actually toyed with the idea of keeping the script as my only source-material this time! That would have been a mistake. What an amazing piece of literature.
A lot of people seem to take it merely as a civil-rights piece, focused solely on race. But if that's where we stop in our assessment of it, we are missing the whole point! It's not about black and white, it's about people period. It's about looking past what we see on the outside of a person, not just skin color, but age, personality, social standing, anything that makes another person in any way different from ourselves. We humans always seem to quickly pick up on the things that make people different, and by nature we tend to treat them as less than ourselves.
The race issue has always been...well, black and white to me. I mean, isn't it obvious how wrong it is to treat anyone in a certain way based on the color of their skin?? We're all human beings, we all descended from Adam, created by the same Creator who loves us all equally. So reading a book that was just going to tell me what I knew already wasn't particularly motivating at first, but I soon began to realize how deep it really went and I could see the same lesson being played out at every turn. And that excited me!
There are a lot books, stories, etc. out there that people rave about as being so meaningful, but when I read them and compare them to Scripture, they just fall apart, devoid of depth. I mistakenly thought this book might be one of those. But I was wrong, it's powerful. So powerful. The way Atticus determines to treat people is everything Jesus tells us to do, and to 'see' it played out in true-to-life, semi-modern scenarios helps to make those Biblical lessons so clear and so simple. It sheds new light on what we already know.
And so, by the end of the book, I finally knew the story, and I finally knew how really worthwhile this show is. The last few rehearsals, it's really started coming from the gut for me, and I'm eagerly looking forward to presenting this amazing story to audiences for the next month. I pray God will move in the hearts of all those who come to see the show, and that He'll continue to work in the hearts of our cast and crew.
Every person, I mean every single person, has value before God. Every single person has a story, a reason for being the way they are, be it good or bad. Our job is to treat each other with respect, with love, with understanding, with patience. To look at things from their point of view. Each person, no matter how unattractive in looks or attitude, is still created in the image of God and because of that, if for no other reason, we must 'crawl inside their skin and walk around in it'.
And maybe, just maybe, someone else will do that for us, too.
