HART Theatre kicks off its 30th season with “To Kill a Mockingbird,” based on the beloved novel by Harper Lee.

There are few titles that are as cherished. Maybe it’s because it captures noble characters through the eyes of a child.

Christopher Sergel adapted the novel in 1990 for the town of Monroeville, Alabama, where it is staged annually in the courthouse. Monroeville is Harper Lee’s home and the locations in the town match those in the novel. The story is so revered that people in the town treat the novel as scripture, able to quote lines at the drop of a hat. Harper Lee never approved, however. She liked the film version with Gregory Peck but has never attended a performance of the play and sued to prohibit merchandizing connected with it.

Harper Lee only published one novel, but with it she became one of America’s most celebrated authors, winning the Pulitzer Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her only other major contribution to literature was her collaboration with Truman Capote on the early research for his novel “In Cold Blood.”

Capote and Lee were childhood friends and though Lee constantly downplayed any autobiographical comparisons of her novel with her life, many characters and events parallel things she experienced and people she knew, including Capote. Her father, for example, was a lawyer who defended black men in Monroeville. She was a witness to the discrimination she documented.

HART’s production includes a huge cast and is under the direction of Wanda Taylor. The cast includes: Carolyn Pope, Lily Bates, Jacob Shanken, Dave Evanoff, Leah Hampton, Susan Rudniak, Dane Peterson, Luke Wilson, Jack Ross, Phil Haire, Sarah Lipham, John Winfield, Stan Smith, Bill Cannon, Terrence Littlejohn Jackie Simms, Larry Porter, Andrea Cody, and Kirby Gibson.

In addition to the large production patrons will be greeted by the site of HART’s new theater under construction. The Daniel and Belle Fangmeyer Theater broke ground last fall but actual construction didn’t begin until early April. The anticipated completion is near the end of the year so HART supporters will be able to watch the progress at each show of the theatre’s anniversary season.

“To Kill a Mockingbird,” May 2, 3, 9, 10, at 7:30 p.m.; May 4 and 11 at 3 p.m. Tickets: $20 for Adults, $18 for Seniors, Student/Teachers $10. Special $6 discount tickets for Students and Teachers for Sundays. Box Office Hours Tuesday-Saturday 1-5 p.m. Call (828) 456-6322 for reservations. Tickets available on line at www.harttheatre.com. Performing Arts Center at the Shelton House, 250 Pigeon Street in Waynesville.