TO MOCK A MOCKINGBIRD (WO #1)

He certainly didn't attend to offend anyone when first embarking on the project. Quite the opposite, in fact. But offend he did and now he was cancelled, in quite emphatic and seemingly permanent fashion.

If there was even the remotest smidgen of a chance he could come back from this it would take a minimum of six months to a year to rehabilitate his career, according to his agent, who even then felt there was no guarantee he could ever recover from this optics disaster.

The creative industries can be brutal at the best of times, but in the current, censorius climate it was the worst possible moment to commit such a blatant faux pas that had somehow managed to offend practically everyone across the societal spectrum.

And so, dejected and disillusioned, Benjamin Wallisch retreated to his house in the country where he got increasingly drunk, lamenting his catastrophic error day after day, week after week. When someone dies, often bells are tolled in their memory, but in Benjamin's symbolic death it was his phone that had now stopped ringing (a sure sign your career's dead in the theatre world). His now deleted social media accounts had been perpetually swarmed by woke keyboard warriors each time he'd thought to drunk post yet another apology, ironically to the very people he'd originally set out to signal his virtue to. But they cared not a jot for his repentance. For in their unforgiving minds he was 100% guilty and would remain so now forevermore.

Finding it increasingly hard to sleep at night with his personal and professional life in turmoil, he would replay the events that led to his spectacular own goal.

It was 12 months ago, almost to the day, that he first breathlessly told the board of directors of the Rainbow Theatre Company about his idea.

"So, I think I've come up with what might be the most radical concept in modern theatre, bridging America's sinful past with its present and future."

"Go on," said one of the board.

"I think we can all agree that we live in an age of divisive politics with tribal angry factions warring with one another over race, religion and gender, and so I think the time has called for ..."

He allowed for a dramatic pause before unleashing his concept.

"A modern race and gender, hyper-conscious re-interpretation of To Kill A Mockingbird."

A meaningful silence descended on the room as Benjamin let the board take a moment to absorb his pitch.

"How would that work exactly?"

"Well, for starters, I'm just spit balling here, Atticus Finch would be portrayed as an African American and Boo Radley could be a member of the LGBTQ community, possibly with Scout as sexually ambiguous also."

"But isn't To Kill A Mockingbird already a cancelled text?" queried another member of the board. "Why would we ressurect something that's already been cancelled? Makes no sense."

"Exactly! By re-claiming it in this age of division we, as progressives, can revive the cancelled book on our terms on the stage. We could even add some musical numbers a la Hamilton."

Benjamin's enthusiasm was neutralised by the board's lack of it.

"Are you deliberately attempting to become the next Max Biallystock, Ben? Or are you just messing with us before telling us what you really want to do."

"Yeah, I'm just kidding."

"So what is your serious idea, then?"

"No. I was joking. That is the serious idea."

After spending the next two hours explaining in great detail his idea of how to update To Kill A Mockingbird for modern America in the year 2019, Benjamin finally convinced the board to green light his new production.

Feeling as if he had his finger firmly wedged in the dyke of zeitgeist, he couldn't wait to release the pent up force of his new play on unsuspecting audiences and shower them with his woke brilliance.

"By attempting to please everyone, Wallisch has pleased no-one, patronising the victim groups he hopes to empower. If ever there was an example of white toxic masculinity in modern theatre, then surely Wallisch is the epitome of it. He hopes to build bridges after burning (possibly unintentionally) them all down." - Serena Fitzgerald of The Monolith

"Who thought it was a good idea to reverse engineer the original cancelled book and attempt to redeem it with such a crass adaptation? We can see through the transparency of Wallisch's intentions as he tries to lazily prove his woke credentials. He is not the man for this task. His lived experience is that of privilege and not of genuine hardship. A time for reflection is needed."  - Aaron Clark of TransSpecific

By common consensus, 'Daddy's Mockingbird' was derided as possibly the most bad taste theatre production thus far in the 21st century. If it had intended to unify people in agreeing on its sheer awfulness, then not all of Wallisch's efforts had been in vain, though he would personally pay a heavy cost either way.  

For the director would bear the brunt for this titanic of woke theatre productions, unable to escape the cruel and bitter ridcule from his industry peers which became the equivalent of a mass witch hunt, a feeding frenzy for the triggered intelligentsia.

Those associated with the play were also targeted by the internet trolls and left wing media and tarnished by association as essentially Nazi commandants complicit with the Fuhrer's (Benjamin's) actions.

"The best you could hope for is pantomime season for a local repertory company, if you change your name."

Benjamin's agent really saw no hope for his coming back, yet still offered the thinnest slithers of silver linings for him, just so he wouldn't kill himself.

His agent did at least demonstrate some compassion, even if it was more for her own self-serving interest. God knows she didn't want a client's suicide on her resume.

One February morning, the door to The Savannah Theatre, America's oldest, continually operating playhouse, swung open and Benjamin appeared, rehabilitated, ready for his long awaited return to the stage.

Rather than re-writing history this time, he decided to commit to the straightest, most literal interpretation of Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible ever directed.

If there was any deviation from the original text, or questioning of its relevance in the 21st century by individual members of the cast, he would take five minutes to compose himself in a quiet corner before coming back and picking up where he left off.

He'd learnt his lesson and he hoped America might, too.