Merced museum hosts ‘Inherit the Wind’

The 1925 Scopes monkey trial played out in the historic courtroom at the Merced County Courthouse Museum over the weekend.

A one-time performance of “Inherit the Wind,” the play that recounts the classic battle over evolution education, took place in the courtroom Sunday.

Directed by Heike Hambley, a Merced resident, and produced by Jim Johnson of the Gallo Center for the Arts, the play told the story of John T. Scopes’ conviction for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to a high school science class, contrary to Tennessee state law.

It was most famously adapted for the movie of the same name starring Spencer Tracy and Fredric March. The play includes historical figures including statesman William Jennings Bryan, attorney Clarence Darrow, Scopes and writer H.L. Mencken.

The museum courtroom had room for about 70 people. The ticket proceeds are to benefit museum programs, organizers said.

This story was originally published February 28, 2016 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Merced museum hosts ‘Inherit the Wind’."