Some of the ‘Mockingbird’ cast and crew after a fun day of rehearsal and set work. Front row: Geetha Sangham, Elisa Garcia-Carreras; middle row: Andrew Hankinson, Yariel Delgado-Schelmetty, Walker Cannon; top row: Sophie Usry, Genna Lawson. Not pictured: Emma Cooper, Elisha Copeland, Julia Dixon, Cheyenne Gilman, D’Karrah Terrell, and Gracie Vandiver.

GREENSBORO, Ga. — Lake Oconee Academy’s high school theatre troupe presents “Mockingbird,” a one-act play adapted by Julie Jensen, based on the National Book Award-winning novel by Kathryn Erskine. “Mockingbird” tells the story of Caitlyn, an 11-year-old girl on the autism spectrum, who used to rely on her older brother to help make sense of things. But now that he is gone, dead from a random act of mass violence, she is on her own. With the support of her guidance counselor, teacher, father, and a new young friend, Caitlin begins to understand how to get close to people, embrace the “messiness” of emotions, and use her flourishing artistic talents to find closure and move on. 

You can see “Mockingbird” on four different dates at multiple venues: Oct. 20 at Festival Hall in downtown Greensboro and Nov. 3-5 at Lake Oconee Academy. The troupe is taking the show to the Class-A region one-act play competition on Oct. 27, which is open to the public and will be held at The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton. LOA previously won the State title in 2020 with the student-written piece “LifeChangers” and in 2019 with the musical “Quilters.” They were also named state runner-up in 2021 with the musical “Working” and in 2018 with “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” 

“Mockingbird” is a story that needs to be told and is appropriate for school-age children and older. Tickets are on sale now at LOA.TicketLeap.com – $10 for adults and $7 for students.