My five favourite plays, chosen by …Leah Crimes

by Harper Lee and Christopher Sergel Published by Heinemann

Cast: 13 males, 8 females

Themes and issues: This play is wonderfully loyal to the novel: Harper Lee's watershed work set in 1935 Alabama. This masterpiece of American fiction explores very real racial tensions and bigotry, giving us an exposition of the justice system for black people in a white world. It displays heart-wrenching courage and questions society. Perhaps it's more relevant than we would like to imagine.

Performance matters: Proscenium Arch with the Finch front porch upstage is the established staging, but I did it inthe-round in the school hall, with three entrances/exits and the balcony above the hall as the balcony of the courtroom. The production became immersive and claustrophobic on a small circular stage, and we didn't need much furniture.