November 2, 2026 – Community members will have an opportunity to experience A Lesson Before Dying on the big screen during a free movie showing Thursday, November 12, at the Lincoln Square Theater.
Presented as part of Big Read Macon County, the screening will run from 6 to 8 p.m. and include complimentary popcorn.
The film adaptation of Ernest J. Gaines’ novel stars Don Cheadle, Cicely Tyson and Mekhi Phifer. Set in Louisiana in the late 1940s, the story follows a young Black man sentenced to death and a teacher who works to help him recognize his dignity and worth in the face of injustice.
A Lesson Before Dying is the featured book for Big Read Macon County, a community-wide literacy initiative bringing residents together through reading, events and conversations about the novel’s themes, including race, justice, courage and human dignity.
The free screening is presented in partnership with the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation and Lincoln Square Theater, as part of the NEA Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
For more about The Big Read Macon County, click HERE.
