Historic Charlotte courtroom will come to life in ‘Mockingbird’

CHARLOTTE – On Monday evening Mike Sobocinski is getting into character.

His portrayal of Atticus Finch is the the moral center of Andromeda Community Theatre’s upcoming production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

During rehearsal he stands in front of the witness seat dressed in a suit and tie, hands on his hips, cross examining cast member Winston Wheaton.

The play that’s based on the acclaimed book by Harper Lee hinges on iconic characters. But the real scene-stealer might just be the venue.

It’s the real deal, a century-old courtroom in the center of Charlotte on the second-floor of the 1885 Eaton County Courthouse.

Inside its double doors and beneath the vaulted ceiling and classic light fixtures, a rendering of blind Lady Justice looks out from the wall over the wooden benches, antique witness chairs and judge’s bench. Much of the furniture has been there for over 100 years, made of sturdy walnut and butternut that’s stood the test of time.

This is where the community theater group, formed last year, will perform. Audience members will be seated in the long benches facing the judge’s bench. The play’s classic courtroom scenes will play out in front of them, where county proceedings were conducted until 1975.

“It’s amazing, just the look of it,” said Frank Boston, a member of the community theater board. “It’s authentic. What else can you say?”

With the exception of the play’s first scene, which is set in a yard, “Mockingbird” is a courtroom drama and director Heather Hipkiss said the courthouse lends itself perfectly to the story her cast of two dozen is telling.

She calls it a “perfect pairing.”

“It’s like walking back in time,” said Hipkiss. “It’s like one of those scenarios when you walk into a room that hasn’t been touched in 30 or 40 years. It’s in immaculate condition.”

The audience of up to 100 people in each performance will be addressed as the jury during Tom Robinson’s trial.

“When the prosecuting attorney and defense attorney start in at the jury all of that will be directed at the audience,” said cast member Kalli Dempsey. “It will neat to watch that unfold.”

The courthouse now functions as a county museum that is cared for by the Courthouse Square Association. Guests tour the building and the courtroom is available for rent, but it’s never been used on such a scale for a theater production.

Courthouse Manager Julie Kimmer said a few small budget films have been shot in the courtroom but many area residents are unaware that they can visit it.

“There are people who live three blocks away who don’t know it’s a museum,” she said.

Dempsey hopes the production will help shine a light on the building.

“I’ve heard so many people say, ‘I’ve never been in that courthouse. I’ve never been in the courtroom,’” she said. “I’m hoping that this will give people a reason to come and to come back and visit with their families and see what is here.”

If you go

Andromeda Community Theatre will perform “To Kill a Mockingbird” at the 1885 Eaton County Courthouse in Charlotte June 4-14. Show times are listed and advance tickets can be purchased at www.andromedaplayers.org.