Tom Mayhall Rastrelli

It's no accident that Pentacle Theatre is producing "To Kill a Mockingbird" this year, the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"Certainly when I proposed to do this play, I feel that it's so relevant today," said veteran director Jo Dodge. "It's amazing how we have progressed, however we have so much work to do."

Christopher Sergal adapted the play from Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Performances begin May 30.

If your mind is rusty, here's a plot refresher. Scout Finch, a young white girl living in depression-era Alabama, is transformed when her father, attorney Atticus Finch, heroically defends Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman. As the trial progresses, the townspeople hurl racist hatred and violence against the Finch and Robinson families. Ultimately, Finch's defense of Robinson awakens the conscious of the townspeople but not without tragedy.

"It's about accepting other people for who they are, and as Atticus says, 'crawling into their skin and walking around in it,' " said actor Jay Howe, who plays Atticus.

Howe, also an attorney, said his occupation informs his performance.

"It gives me a better ability to establish a presence in the courtroom. He is an immensely admirable man, a noble man," Howe said.

Playing such iconic and venerated characters is challenging, but Dodge isn't intimidated.

"The play is so well known and the characters, the heroes, are so loved that the challenge is to not play everything like it's Little Mary Sunshine ... It's a question of guiding the play to be realistic, to touch an audience emotionally, so they can believe the characters," Dodge said.

To succeed, the actors must embody the characters and their emotions. One of the show's major challenges is having three child actors carry the plot. Scout is 10-year-old Molly Hare's first speaking role. Was it difficult?

"Are you kidding? She was the first one off book, and she has probably the most lines," Dodge said.

"The kids carry the show. They tell the story. Every night I'm in awe," actress Levera Gerig who portrays Calpurnia said.

They also understand the production's relevance.

"Just because his skin is black doesn't mean he doesn't have the same rights that other people have. I just think this is a super powerful play," Hare said.

Actor Joseph Graney, who is 11 and plays Jem, connected the play's racial themes to bullying.

"You can feel the amount of ignorance that people have with each other and the amount of hatred there is," he said of certain characters. "I feel it's important for people to know that even though someone's not the same as you or your friends or family does not mean they should not be accepted."

"The company of actors and crew that we have is extraordinary. We all feel honored to be telling this story to the community," Dodge said.

If you go

What: "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Christopher Sergel, based on the novel by Harper Lee and directed by Jo Dodge

Where: Pentacle Theatre, 324 52nd Ave. NW

When: 7:30 p.m. May 30-31, June 5-7, 11-15 and 18-21; and 2 p.m. June 1 and 8.

Tickets: $18 for Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evening performances and $19 for Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees. Available at the Pentacle ticket office, 145 Liberty St. NE, by calling (503) 485-4300 or at pentacletheatre.org

Benefit: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 4, for Polk Country Democrats; tickets are $25

Two for one tickets for low-income persons

Pentacle Theatre is now partnering with Salem for All! by offering two for one tickets to Oregon Trail Card holders. Tickets must be purchased at the theatre box office on the day of the show on a first come first serve basis. There is a limit of six tickets per card. For more information, go to salemforall.org.