Is there anybody out there who is not familiar with Harper Lee’s novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird?”

If you lived north of the Mason-Dixon line, you read it in school. If you ever went to the movies, you saw Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.

The play version is seeing a revival of sorts, as major theatre companies are staging the adaptation by Christopher Sergel in various forms.

Trinity Rep, always the innovator, has chosen to present the play with many innovative tweaks. The upstairs Chace Theatre has been converted to theatre-in-the-round – a major undertaking.

Adult actors play the children and friend of lawyer Atticus Finch, with Angela Brazil giving a great performance as daughter Scout, who questions everything in her small town of Maycomb, Alabama, back in 1935, when racism ran rampant.

Jude Sandy, a black actor, plays the white son of Atticus, and he is not the only color blind casting, while Mauro Hantman plays their friend.

Alexis Green, who is also black, plays the white daughter of Bob Ewell (Fred Sullivan Jr.), a good-ole-boy racist who accuses a black man of raping her. And black actress Ashley Mitchell plays the bigoted white Mrs. Dubose. The young actress perfectly portrayed the aging woman. (I saw a bit of the late Barbara Meek in her performance.)

Director Brian McEleny has used the entire large theatre space to move his actors up and down stairs, shouting from off stage, and centered in the small space that serves as a variety of locations, including the second act courtroom.

McEleny pushes the envelope by having each actor tell a personal story, stepping out of character at the beginning of the production and throughout the two acts. The stories are very personal, some funny and some poignant. While the technique is quite unique, I am still trying to decide if it enhances the play or disrupts it.

One thing is for sure: this is not your typical production of a major work. The first act wanders a bit before the tense second act, which deals with the trial of Boo.

A number of actors play two roles, including Sullivan, Mitchell, Sinan Eczacibasi, David Samuel, and Will Turner.

Once again, Stephen Thorne shows his complete acting skills, becoming Atticus Finch, with all of his self-doubts and determination. Thorne shines in the second act as he builds a strong case for his underdog client (David Samuel)

Many of the actors, including Rachael Warren, Rebecca Gibel and Mia Ellis, sit among the audience, helping to move the story to its tragic conclusion.

Trinity’s production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” needs to be done in a time when racial discrimination and injustice is still with us. Whether you walk away a bit overwhelmed, or buy in to the “tweaks” is a matter of personal taste. One thing is certain: You will not forget it.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a Trinity Rep through April 3. Call 351-4242 for reservations.