'To Kill a Mockingbird' to play Madison Square Garden

"To Kill a Mockingbird," which has played to packed houses since it opened a year ago, is about to be performed for its biggest audience yet.

On Feb. 26, Aaron Sorkin's Tony Award-winning play will be presented as a free performance at Madison Square Garden for approximately 18,000 New York City public school students, producers announced Wednesday. The event, which will feature the current cast headed by Ed Harris as Atticus Finch, marks the first time a Broadway play has been performed at the Garden.

“This is an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and will undoubtedly have an indelible impact on our students for years to come,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza in a statement. “In New York City, we’re making record investments in arts education, and we thank the producers, artists and everyone at Madison Square Garden for their incredible generosity in bringing the arts to life for our school communities.”

Tickets for the Feb. 26 show are being provided exclusively to New York City public middle and high schools through the New York City Department of Education. No other tickets will be available.

The show, which is based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1960 novel about a girl's coming of age during a racially fueled trial in 1930s Alabama, holds the title of the most successful American play in Broadway history. Since it began previews in November 2018, "Mockingbird" has not played to an empty seat.