Living The Legacy

Drama explores Martin Luther King as man

Britney Walker-Merritte and Trey Smith rehearse for “The Mountaintop,” a production of the University of Arkansas theater department and the African and African American Studies Program. The two-person play imagines what might have happened the night before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.
Britney Walker-Merritte and Trey Smith rehearse for “The Mountaintop,” a production of the University of Arkansas theater department and the African and African American Studies Program. The two-person play imagines what might have happened the night before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.

Most people know the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but few see him as anything more than the iconic figure of the American civil rights movement.

"The Mountaintop," a two-person play written by Katori Hall, imagines what might have happened the night before King was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. The University of Arkansas' production of the Olivier Award-winning play begins tonight.

FAQ

‘The Mountaintop’

WHEN — 7:30 p.m. today & Saturday; 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Sunday

WHERE — Kimpel Hall 404, University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville

COST — $5-$10

INFO — theatre.uark.edu

"We're exploring Dr. King from a human level, a level that gets us to see that he was vulnerable," says director Clinnesha Sibley. "It's an invitation into the private life of Dr. King and what that may have been like."

Trey Smith will portray King, while Britney Walker-Merritte will play a maid at the Lorraine Motel where King was assassinated.

"He lives and breathes the principles, " Sibley says of Smith. "This play has been so great for him because it has allowed him to start seeing (King) as a human being and therefore allows him to see a King in himself. It's given him a level of accessibility to Dr. King that he'd never had before playing this part."

Smith is no stranger to the legacy of King, Sibley says. He's been involved with the Northwest Arkansas MLK Council for several years to help continue the legacy of King.

That's the takeaway from the play, too, says Sibley.

"Once we view (King) on a human level ... it makes picking up the baton seem less daunting. It makes you want to be a part of change, to be a part of growth. There still needs to be change and growth," she says.

-- Kelly Barnett

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NAN What's Up on 01/30/2015

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