Modine Plays 'Atticus Finch' In Hartford's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Beginning 2/19

Hartford Stage, under the artistic direction of Michael Wilson,  announced that acclaimed Emmy-nominated actor Matthew Modine will make his Hartford Stage debut as Atticus Finch in the eagerly anticipated stage adaptation of Harper Lee's classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Hartford Stage Wilson will direct the production, which will play at the Tony Award-winning theatre February 19 - April 4.

Matthew Modine has worked with many of the most highly regarded film and stage directors, including Oliver Stone, Stanley Kubrick, Robert Altman, Alan J. Pakula, Spike Lee, Tom Mike Figgis, Jonathan Demme and John Sayles. A partial list of his films include Birdy, Married to the Mob, Vision Quest, Full Metal Jacket, Gross Anatomy, and Shortcuts. Mr. Modine is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award, Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup and Golden Lion for best actor. He received Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations for What the Deaf Man Heard and the Emmy Award-winning And the Band Played On. Modine last appeared on stage in Arthur Miller's Resurrection Blues, directed by Robert Altman at The Old Vic in London. He also worked with Arthur Miller in Finishing the Picture, directed by Robert Falls at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a tender portrait of a southern town, brimming with powerful lessons of tolerance, justice and quiet heroism. Scout and Jem are growing up in the Deep South during the 1930s depression. Their idyllic childhood is jolted with the realization that prejudice and bigotry rule in their small town when their father, a lawyer of principle and integrity, is asked to defend a young black man falsely accused of raping a white woman.

The cast of Mockingbird will also feature Olivia Scott (Scout), Henry Hodges (Jem), Jennifer Harmon (Stephanie Crawford/ Mrs. Dubose), Nafe Katter (Mr. Nathan Radley), Andrew Shipman (Dill), Nafe Katter (Judge Taylor), Charles Turner (Reverend Sykes), Virginia Kull (Mayella Ewell), Mike Boland (Bob Ewell), Devon Abner (Mr. Gilmer), Doug Lyons (Tom Robinson) and Daralyn Jay (Helen Robinson).

The townspeople of the Southern-set work will be portrayed by C. Zakiah Barksdale, William A. Thomas, Tom Libonate, Deirdre Garrett, Rob Pawlikowski, Justin FullerConnor Fitzgerald, Larkin Meehan, Jordan Cyr and Jacob Entenman.

Michael Wilson will direct To Kill a Mockingbird as part of his 11th season as Artistic Director of Hartford Stage. Mr. Wilson has directed 25 productions for the theatre, including the premieres of the Broadway comedy Enchanted April and the world premieres of Horton Foote's The Carpetbagger's Children and Eve Ensler's Necessary Targets, both of which subsequently transferred Off-Broadway. Most recently, Wilson directed the acclaimed Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Horton Foote's Dividing The Estate, which will transfer to Hartford Stage in May with its original Broadway cast.

Tickets for To Kill a Mockingbird are currently on sale. To purchase tickets or for more information, contact the Hartford Stage box office at 860-527-5151 or visit www.hartfordstage.org.