JAMIE HOGAN

P L A Y N O T E S Season: 42 Issue:2 Background Information R e s o u r c e G u i d e Interviews & Commentary Discussion Programs

The Artistic Perspective,For hosted byThe Artistic Director General Anita Stewart, is an Publicopportunity for audience members to delve deeper into the themes of the show through conversation with special guests. A different scholar, visiting artist, playwright, or other expert will join the discussion each time. The Artistic Perspective discussions are held after the first Sunday matinee performance.

Page to Stage discussions are presented in partnership with the Portland Public Library. These discussions, led by Portland Stage artistic staff, actors, directors, and designers answer questions, share stories and explore the challenges of bringing a particular play to the stage. Page to Stage occurs at noon on the Tuesday after a show opens at the Portland Public Library’s Main Branch. Feel free to bring your lunch!

Curtain Call discussions offer a rare opportunity for audience members to talk about the production withthe performers. Through this forum, the audience and cast explore topics that range from the process of rehearsing and producing the text to character development to issues raised by the work. Curtain Call discussions are held after the second Sunday matinee performance.

All discussions are free and open to the public. Show attendance is not required. To subscribe to a discussion series performance, please call the Box Office at 207.774.0465.

Protesters and those dear to Martin Luther King, Jr. gathered for a memorial after his death at the Lorraine Motel.

Discussion Dates for The Mountaintop The Artistic Perspective: Sunday, Nov. 8 in the theater, following the 2:00 p.m. matinee.

Page to Stage: Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Portland Public Library, at noon.

Curtain Call: Sunday, Nov. 15 in the theater, following the 2:00 p.m. matinee. The Mountaintop by: Katori Hall

Portland Stage Educational Programs are generously supported through the annual donations of hundreds of individuals and businesses, as well as special funding from:

The Robert and Dorothy Goldberg Charitable Foundation & George and Cheryl Higgins & Funded in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Portland StageTable Produces The of Mountaintop Contents Thoughts from the Editorial Staff 6 Benn Speaks. . . 8 About the Play 9 An Interview with the Director: Charles Weldon 10 About the Playwright 11 Putting it Together: Shane Van Vliet 12

The World of The Mountaintop Memphis v. Maine, 1968 14 Non-violent Protests after King 16 Social Media to Social Movements 18 Music, Memphis, and MLK Jr. 19 Phenomenal Women: Female Civil Rights Leaders 20 Modern Day Martyrs: How We Make Saints of the Famous 22 Christianity in The Mountaintop 24 Angels in their Many Forms 25 Interview with Gerald E. Talbot 26

The Mountaintop In the Classroom Instant Lessons 28 Glossary 30 Further Resources 31 Your 2015/2016 PlayNotes Editorial Staff Hannah Cordes Connor Pate Education & Theater for Kids Intern Directing & Dramaturgy Intern Mariele Fluegeman Kerry Randazzo Directing & Dramaturgy Intern General Administration Intern Zoe Levine Sporer Grace Weiner Scenic Intern Education & Theater for Kids Intern Benn May Directing & Dramaturgy Intern 4 The Mountaintop Martin Luther King, Jr. helps young protesters march to end segregation in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1964.

PlayNotes 5 Portland Stage Produces The Mountaintop Thoughts From... I met the person who most inspired me to take action in college. While that may not be surprising, it was not a professor or student who influenced me so greatly. It was an administrative assistant named Liz. Now, Liz had her MFA in theater and had worked as a costume designer many times, but her advice to me was not about theater. She simply said, “If you stand by and say nothing while something is happening that you disagree with, you are condoning it.” I remember that quote almost daily, and not just on the big causes, but in the day-to-day interactions as well. It has motivated me to be more aware of the world around me and the impact I am making.

I want to learn Arabic and work overseas. “I support you.” I think I should be a psy- chologist. “I support you.” I think I’d be happier if I taught high school history. “I sup- port you.” I want to try and be in theater. “I support you.” I want to be a playwright. “I support you.”

No matter what I wanted to do or be, regardless of whether or not it made sense, my mother always supported me. After I changed my major for the third time in college, she didn’t encourage me to back peddle or stick with something that made me unhappy. She believed I would figure it out even when I was unsure which foot to put first. Often, that belief was good enough for the both of us.

In October, 2014, I got the chance to hear Laverne Cox, trans woman of color, activ- ist, and actress of Orange is the New Black fame, speak at The Ohio State University. As a queer and trans person myself, I really admire Laverne’s dedication to advancing the visibility of and addressing the issues facing the trans community on a national stage. As much as I’ve followed her interviews and read her blog posts, hearing her speak in person and feeling her insistence on the importance of representation, of making narratives heard, inspired me to gather a group of students together on my own college’s campus. Together, we organized our own convocation on trans issues and received the support of the administration.

My seventh-grade health teacher inspired me to stand up against other children who were mistreating me and others. He pulled me aside and asked me what was going on. He offered his help. These were gestures that no other teacher before him had extended to me. This simple act of kindness gave me the security of knowing that someone had my back in my taking action to stand up against bullies and improve my situation.

6 The Mountaintop Portland Stage Produces The Mountaintop ...The Editorial Staff Any time I am inspired to act for the benefit of another human being I think of my dad. Growing up, I would drive to Sunday school with him every weekend and we would break down what I had learned in class on the way home. He had an amazing way of simplifying complex ideas. “Mitzvah” in Hebrew means commandment. But my dad taught it to me as doing something kind for another living thing, just out of the goodness of your heart. He would encourage my sisters and I to “do a mitzvah” once a week and whenever we did something selfless, he would praise us with the simple act of saying “mitzvah!” and a low high five. This one word is the root of every form of activism I participate in today. There are many people who inspire me, but my dad will always be my biggest inspiration to spread kindness and love.

My first college course was a Women and Gender Studies class made up of only six women. The professor was a woman named Erica who, with her pixie-cut hair and nose ring, resembled a fairy more than a stereotypical professor. She engaged us in heated debates every morning, teaching us what it meant to be a feminist in a modern world. After years of calling myself a feminist, that word began to hold more weight than I ever thought it could. She inspired me to be curious, to speak up, to challenge those who accept the status quo, and to learn from people of different backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, and experiences. After gaining Erica as a mentor, I went on to explore the connections between theater and feminism; I taught workshops and directed plays that discuss gender roles. As I move into a career in the arts, I hope to continue to use theater to discuss these important issues.

My childhood best friend was a boy named Graham who was diagnosed with brain cancer when we were 8. As a child, it was often hard for me to understand the true weight and seriousness of the situation, but over time I came to understand that, regardless of how hard it was for me to spend that much time in the hospital or how frustrating it was to be unable to do certain things because of Graham's physical limitations, life was always harder for him because he was the one specifically affected by disease. Through my friendship with Graham and the experiences that I had in relation to his illness, I learned the importance of empathy and support for others, which I continue to carry with me to this day.

For a free, digital color copy of this issue PlayNotes and its bibliography, go to http://www.portlandstage.org/education/playnotes/ PlayNotes 7 Portland Stage Produces The Mountaintop Benn Speaks. . .

Why has the theater remained important for over two thousand years? Because we tell stories that remain relevant no matter what time period it is, how long ago a play was written. A good play tells a story that connects to every audience. Working on The Mountaintop has reminded me just how important the stories we tell as theater artists can be.

Why does a play matter about a civil rights leader whose history we have heard repeatedly? Because it is important for us to remember that King was a man. He worked, swore, drank, smoked, doubted, and struggled like any normal human, and yet he accomplished so very much. In a time when it feels like the world may not improve, reminding ourselves of the power of ordinary people is important.

What matters is not only the honoring of Dr. King, but also the message of his story and the story that Katori Hall gives us. The ability to be a normal man, with normal fears, and yet to pick yourself up and lead a movement is empowering for so many. Feeling marginalized in our world is not uncommon for several groups in our society. In the past year alone we have seen huge strides toward equality but also huge setbacks.

For every loud cheerful proclamation we enjoy for the rights of some, we must also share the loud cry of mourning for another. This summer the LGBT rights movement saw an amazing moment of joy as the Supreme Court ruled that marriage equality was the law of our nation. Immediately though, we were faced with another school shooting, another wrongful death, another moment of silence where we realize just how dangerous and desperate our world can seem.

It would also be foolish not to recognize the work of Dr. King and how much further the movement has to go. We are having a time where a very real cry of “Black Lives Matter” is relevant. We are not as far past 1968 as we would like to believe. Growing up in the American South, I have seen these inequalities firsthand. I have seen racism and the evil it can cause. I have seen marches in the street of men in white hoods spreading hate and fear in their path. This is why we must remember; this is why we must see these plays that, by forcing us to look at our past, can help us consider our future. In this play we see a moment where Dr. King realizes all that will come after him, both positive and negative. This play was written in 2009, and we have had 6 more years of joy and pain since then. Dramaturg My hope is that when the audience walks away from this play, noun | dra●ma●turg they will honor the memory of a man who did so much for this The person who assists the director to create world; that they will pick up his work and keeping fighting for the world of a play by contributing necessary his wishes of equality, truth, and integrity for our nation; that insight, research, or feedback before and they will help create a place where all little boys and girls can during rehearsals. play together and grow up in a world that celebrates them as individuals no matter the color of their skin, the love in their hearts, or the religion to which they subscribe. The baton passes on.

8 The Mountaintop Portland Stage Produces The Mountaintop About the Play

To be greeted by death is not something to expect on most days. There is very little likelihood that the end of a life will be marked with road signs and indicators. There is no warning, or direction. There is only what will happen. If the knowledge was presented, what could be done? Is there a way to alter fate? Or must fate be accepted and followed to the letter?

When it becomes clear that time is running out and it may seem like grasping onto existence is the most important task ahead, how do you find acceptance? How do you find peace not only with the lack of a future but with the legacy you will be leaving behind? These are the question posed to Martin Luther King Jr. in the play The Mountaintop.

In a life filled with heroics but also strife and pain, it is easy to be consumed by the mission. It is logical to take the path that sees reality as merely an extension of that mission, and that you must be present to ensure it is completed successfully. When the time does come to bid adieu to the living world, there are no extensions. No bargain can be made, no pass delivered. There is only the time you have remaining and what you will do with it. This simple-looking motel room, well-preserved, is where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spent his last night. Katori Hall creates a fictional account of just such a moment: the moment when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is told of his imminent death, and told that his mission is complete. How does he react? How does he plan for what comes next? The answer is delightfully human. We do not see him accept the news like a biblical hero. He does not get the message and simply bow his head. He fights for longer, fights for more, fights to not abandon those he loves. This is the reaction of a human, not of a figurehead or a legendary leader. He reacts in such a real way that one can not only empathize with him, but completely support his desire.

Despite King’s wishes, delaying his death is not an option. He does not get another turn around the track of life; he is told that the next day, he will die. No exception can be made. He goes so far as to speak to God directly via her cell phone (yes, God is a woman) in order to drag out the process, but it is a no go. We then see introspection at its finest. When time is running out and all you can do is plan for the next step to be taken without you, your past is very important.\

His triumphs are not all that is presented. His failures are there as well, not as criticism or reason to judge his character, but simply as a part of the man that he is. So often the crowd loses the person behind the idea they present. There is a separation between the person in front of the microphone and the person who really just wants his cigarettes and to rest his aching feet. Does the reality of the man cheapen the power of his work? Or does one simply accept both sides of a person, both the public and the private?

In looking at a person’s life, what is more important to remember and to glean from their example? Is it better only to tally their wins and wipe away the losses? Must one find it within their power simply to accept that both exist eternally woven together? That is the beauty of people. No one is simply one thing or another and the journey of The Mountaintop shows the truth of that message.

PlayNotes 9 Portland Stage Produces The Mountaintop An Interview with the Director: harles elden Charles Weldon is an actor andC director whose work has appeared W on Broadway, film, and in regional theatres across the United States. He is also the artistic director of the Negro Ensemble Company. While he has directed The Mountaintop before, this is the first time Charles has directed at Portland Stage.

Benn May, Assistant Director and Dramaturg of The Mountaintop, sat down with Charles to ask some questions about who is he as a person and director, and what led him here to this production.

BM: What started you as a Director?

CW: I basically started directing after teaching acting classes, and the acting classes were such so that at the end of the period that the students paid for we would do showcases. I started directing my own kids. Other than that I just realized I could do it. I think that is what really got me started. A lot of actors want to become directors at some point, but a lot of them can’t or don’t. But then I started enjoying it, but I still got that actor thing going. I get in the way sometimes.

BM: Why did you choose The Mountaintop? CW: I liked the idea and I lived through that period so I was very familiar with everything that was happening. When he was assassinated I was working at this club, as a lead singer of my own band, and I went through not boycotting that night. When I went to see it I enjoyed it. I enjoyed Sam (Samuel L. Jackson) and Angela’s (Angela Bassett) work. I see Sam all the time, and I hadn’t seen Angela in a long time and it was really cool. When it came to me, Harvy asked me if I would like to direct it. His friend in Dylan (Colorado) had put it on the schedule and so I said yeah.

BM: What is different this time versus last time? CW: Lot more time, lot more space, we are going to able to use a lot more of the special effects. Dylan was wonderfulbut it is basically a black box, so the effects were a dark light, or a red light, or flower petals falling from the sky. Here I think we are going to be able to really make it look magical. nounDirector | di●rec●tor Person who oversees and orchestrates BM: What do you think is the message of this play? the mounting of a theatre production CW: The message, if there is one, the message I suppose I am trying to put out by unifying various endeavors and there is that we are all human. There areonly in martyrs in the minds of those aspects of production. who consider them to be martyrs. That martyr was a human being and I’m sure they had his or her flaws. I think that is the message of this play. Katori Hall was a young girl when she wrote this play, she was just trying to say he (Martin Luther King, Jr.) was a man, just like any other man. I think that was her message. My message is a little different than hers, he was a man but he was more than just a man who was out looking for a good time. He really did care about people, and his causes. That is part of this play also.

BM: Who has been your biggest influence as a director? CW: Hmm…. That’s easy. Israel Hicks. He was my director forprobably 25 or more shows over the years. When I direct now, I’m different than Israel, I get in the way but he was very seldom on the floor. Israel gave everybody their due up there, but I’m a roamer, I’m up and walking in the way and stuff. But Israel Hicks was a huge influence. I could also say Sidney Poitier, I could say Douglas Turner Ward, there is a plethora of directors that I’ve worked under. But Israel Hicks was the one with the most influence on me, realizing how to deal with my cast. He was perfect with that. A director is not only a director in the sense of “directing.” He’s a person who knows how to deal with people. Especially if you have a big cast you turn into a psychologist. I’ve been in plays where I’ve had to squash fights and all that stuff and still keep people in tune.

BM: Favorite thing about Portland, ME?

CW: The Pigeons – they don’t run away from you here. They just kind of say “Hey.” But really I think it’s the people of Portland. I think they are very nice. I really like the people so far. The people I have met have been nice, and that is a true answer too. 10 The Mountaintop Portland Stage Produces The Mountaintop About the Playwright: Katori Hall

There is a Post-It note on her monitor, a short, perfunctory declaration of identity: “I am a writer.” A week later, she’s accepted into the Julliard School for Playwriting and leaves the communications department at XM radio. Two years later, in 2009, she graduates. The next year, The Mountaintopwins the Olivier Award. In 2011, The Mountaintopis on Broadway with Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett. She has received multiple playwriting awards, various theater fellowships, and has written for the New York Times and the Boston Globe. These are Katori Hall’s accomplishments, but they are not Katori Hall.

Born in 1981 and raised in Memphis, Tennesee, Katori spent her early life putting on plays in her living room. One room away, in the dining room, her parents staged their own theater. In front of Katori and her four sisters, her parents would put on “one-person shows,” embodying various voices to illustrate what “the boss man said that day, or did or didn’t do.” This casual, communal form of theater led Katori to pursue the field.

In 1999, Katori was accepted into the acting program at Columbia University. While there, Katori and her acting partner were tasked with finding a scene that fit their type: “young black women.” They searched the Columbia library for a scene for two young black women and didn’t find any. They went back to their professor and asked for advice. The professor didn’t know of any. “I have to write those plays,” she said, “I have to carry that baton forward and write us into existence because if I don’t who else will?”

Hoodoo Love (2007), The Blood Quilt(2015), and Saturday Night/Sunday Morning (2014) prove that she’s adhered to that promise. Furthermore, with the exception of The Blood Quilt,the aforementioned plays are all set in her home of Memphis. Outside of pushing for a voice belonging to young African American women, she’s also worked on carving out places for young African American women in the South. Speaking to the NEA, Katori said, “I’m a black woman from the South and so I have been made to think about race just by virtue of growing up in that region.”

In The Mountaintop, her Memphis upbringing appears again. Expounding upon Dr. King’s own fear in her play, she recalls her mother being told by her grandmother not to go hear Dr. King speak at the Mason Temple out of fear of violence. She recounts growing up in Memphis and hearing the “street gossip” about Dr. King, about how flirtatious he was, about King removed from his pedestal. When asked about her courage in writing the play, she claims naiveté before pushing back at her critics. “How dare you take King off a pedestal? I say, ‘How dare I not?’ I’m a dramatist. My purpose is to tell stories that wouldn’t necessarily be told.”

PlayNotes 11 Portland Stage Produces The Mountaintop Putting it Together: Shane Van Vliet

Shane Van Vliet, the stage manager for The Mountaintop, has been a resident stage manager at Portland Stage for eight seasons and has worked as a professional stage manager for nearly twenty years. Before rehearsals began,

Hannah Cordes of PlayNotes sat down with Shane to talk about what it means to be a stage manager.

HC: To begin, can you explain a bit about what exactly a stage manager is?

SVV: It’s hard to explain…my parents have been asking me for about 20 years, because they say, “We don’t see you on stage, we don’t understand what you’re doing.” But it pretty much is putting it all together. It’s knowing what needs to happen on stage with the actors. It’s knowing about the sets, lights, and costumes. It’s knowing what everything has to be and then putting it together by collaborating with everyone, and then making sure it happens every night. It’s definitely a powerful role because you are basically in charge. Especially when the show opens, you’re it. And you’re the one who has to make sure the show looks and stays exactly the way the director and the designers wanted it to look like. So that’s kind of a daunting task on some bigger shows. Someone described a play as a wheel, and the stage manager is the hub in the middle, and everyone else is the spokes of the wheel. And my job is to connect them all and make sure that it comes into one big show.

HC: What other stage management work have you done outside of Portland Stage? SVV: I’ve kind of been all over the place. I was in New York for a while, doing some Off-Off-Off-Broadway. I remember the first show I ever did in New York was a Chekhov play in the basement of a bar (which was another bar). So we did the play at the bar…that was our stage. And then the audience was at tables in front of the bar. And the booth (where I run the show) was actually behind the bar, so I couldn’t see; otherwise I would have been in the show. So I had to crouch down and listen and run the show that way. And I think we were performing for like three people each night. It was ridiculous, but that was the first show I ever did in New York. So I did a bunch of that. And then I toured with an improv group for a while, then with Theater Works, an educational touring company. I also worked with the Rockettes for a while, on their Christmas touring show. I was in charge of the kids and the live animals. (There were two camels, a donkey, and four sheep.) And my job was to get them on and off the stage. One of my favorite stories: we were in Boston and the pen for the animals was a good six or seven blocks away from the theater. So every night my job was to get the animals on. And I would have to bundle up (it was winter), put on my Rockettes jacket, and go out and get the donkey and the sheep and the camels and walk them through the streets of Boston to the stage. And people would literally stop me and take pictures with the donkey.

12 The Mountaintop Portland Stage Produces The Mountaintop

HC: What do you think is the most important quality for a stage manager to have? SVV: Oh, that’s a good one! When we interview for stage management interns, they always say communication and organization, and I think those are all extremely important. Stage Manager But I think the most important one is to be calm. You have ● ● ●er to be the calm one in the room, because actors are going noun | stage man ag | to freak out about something, or designers are going to get upset because they aren’t getting what they want, or Person who has overall responsibility for stage the director’s going to get frustrated. And you have to be management and the smooth execution of a the one who doesn’t get upset, doesn’t burst into tears, and production. doesn’t start screaming. Because there has to be one person in the room that is going to be like, “It’s okay, we’re going to figure it out.”

HC: What is your favorite part of being a stage manager? SVV: One of the things that I love about stage management is that I get to work with so many different people. And I especially love our theater, because we bring in people from all over the country. So I have gotten to meet so many exceptional people and make friends with people I never would have met otherwise.

HC: How do you prepare for a new show? What kind of work needs to get done in the weeks before rehearsal begins? SVV: So the first thing I do, about a week before the show (although I get flack for not doing it earlier), is I read the script. The first time I read it, I just read it to learn about the story that we are telling. If there is anything that pops up at me like, ‘Oh, this is going to be a technical element that we will need to do’ or ‘Oh, there’s dancing, we will need to hire a choreographer’ or something like that, I flag that stuff. Then I read it again for specifics. Like what sort of props and lights we will need. So I read it a couple of times. And I make lists. Lots of lists. I love lists. And then I start doing all my basic paperwork: putting all the information together, getting contact information and calendars…lots and lots of paperwork. This time also includes lots of talking with the director to find out what they are thinking about the play and how they want to work in rehearsal, because every director is different. So I can’t be like, “This is how I do things.” I have to figure out how they want to do things, and then adapt to that. And then I start setting up the rehearsal room. You know, taping up the sets so we know what the stage will look like, getting all the props ready, making sure we’ll have coffee for the first day, and stuff like that. So that when everyone walks in the rehearsal room for the first day, everything is set.

HC: What excites you most about The Mountaintop? SVV: I enjoy historical plays and plays based on real people. I find it interesting that this play is a different look at Martin Luther King Jr. It’s a take on his life that I have never seen before. So I like that. But I like that it’s not so straightforward, it’s a little magical. So it has elements that we are going to have to figure out. It’s not very cut and dry. I read it the first time and thought, these are things that we’ll have to be creative with. So that is fun. I like different challenges. It is definitely going to be an interesting play.

HC: What would you like this project to say? What would you like an audience to take away from it? SVV: I don’t think there is a specific strong message that I want to come across. But I want people to come away and talk about it. To me, that’s a successful play. If they enjoy it and then they leave the theater and they’re having a discussion about it, and there are differences of opinions, and maybe there’s an argument. That’s what I want. I want people to talk about it.

PlayNotes 13 Portland Stage Produces The Mountaintop Maine v. Memphis, 1968

In 2010, the Portland Press Herald posted an article about the history of Portland, Maine, from the early 1960s to the late ’80s. The photos are mostly idyllic, showing antique drug stores and young men in bellbottoms.. This year, theBangor Daily News posted a story concerning a video of Portland in 1968. Young women walk in front of shop windows; there are close-ups of bracelets, refrigerators, suits, and golf clubs. As accurate and representative as those photos might be, they are seen through a single, limited lens. Standing outside the quaint drug stores and beside the women peering into windows were those repressed and underrepresented, the very people the Civil Rights Movement was fighting for.

Gerald Talbot, a Maine civil rights leader and first president of the NAACP in Portland in 1964, echoed the sentiments of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report from 1961. The report states, “a considerable number of Americans, by reason of color or race are being denied equal opportunity in housing.” During the 1950s and ’60s, Talbot was routinely turned down for rental housing and, at one point, evicted from a house by his landlord because of the color of his skin. Talbot, while This photo shows Congress Street in downtown Port- supporting the Civil Rights Movement in the South, stayed in Maine and land as it appeared in the 1960s. worked on addressing the issues there. The governor at the time, Kenneth Curtis, who appointed him to a civil rights council, recognized Talbot’s continued work in Maine.

Talbot’s experience in Maine was not unique. Andy O’Brien, a reporter out of Rockland, Maine, writes, “A 1965 survey by a University of Maine sociology professor reported that 76 percent of Bangor’s black population reported discrimination.” A fair housing bill was passed in 1965, which failed to pass two years earlier because of a widespread belief that “racial discrimination is not an issue in Maine.” This bill, intent on protecting Maine civil rights leaders held protests and campaigned to the rights of anyone wanting to secure housing, was only expanded to raise awareness of race issues in a state where race was not include those of the LGBT community in 2005. The LGBT amendment believed to be an issue. was first proposed in 1997 and was law for a year before being repealed by Maine voters in 1998. Two conservative groups, the Christian Civil League and the Christian Coalition, led the call for a voter referendum.

The clips of women gliding past department store windows are accurate depictions of Maine. The lives of Talbotand minorities in Bangor are accurate depictions of Maine. The difference is that one gets memorialized in separate Facebook pages and the others are forgotten, hard to find without the aid of living civil rights leaders like Talbot.

Some 1,400 odd miles south of Portland, Maine, sits Memphis, Tennessee. The year 1968 in Memphis is best remembered for the tragic assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. His unfortunate passing obscures the very reason he came to the city: to support those fighting for a living wage, fighting for the dignity to be called a man. King was in Memphis to lend his support to the Memphis Sanitation workers on strike.

Sanitation workers in Memphis often worked sixty-hour weeks, yet received forty hours of pay. The low wage ($1.60 an hour) and lack People across the United States came out in support of of overtime pay applied to all those who worked in sanitation, but the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike, including these Memphis frequently hired black workers whom they terminated at will men from New York.

14 The Mountaintop Portland Stage Produces The Mountaintop and without cause. Almost half of these workers, despite having full-time jobs, were still poor enough to draw welfare. The discrepancy in hours worked and pay also extended to the insurance “provided” to sanitation workers: minimal health insurance and no accident insurance.

On a rainy February 1 in Memphis, 22 black workers were sent home without pay; white supervisors stayed inside and drew paychecks. Echol Cole and Robert Walker, two sanitation workers on a route, sheltered themselves from the rain in the back of their garbage truck. Often, black employees sought shelter within the compactor of their trucks, as their other options for shelter were limited per their employee guidelines (e.g., the 22 workers sent home). Cole and Walker’s compactor malfunctioned and crushed the pair to death. Their funeral expenses amounted to more than they made in a month.

Frustrated by a long history of discrimination and the city’s mishandling of Cole and Walker’s deaths (the families’ received $500 for bereavement), nearly 1,100 out of Memphis’ 1,300 black sanitation workers decided to The National Guard arrived to enforce martial law in strike on February 11. Supported Memphis after one evening of protests turned violent. by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees’ Union, workers sought increased job safety, better wages and benefits along with union recognition. Initially, the strikes were organized and supported solely by the workers. After Mayor Henry Loeb threatened to permanently replace those on strike and responded to the protests with clubs and mace, Memphis’s nearly 40 percent black population stepped in to assist with the strike.

The NAACP soon supported the strike. A group of some 150 local ministers formed Community on the Move for Equality (COME) with the support of a longtime King ally, James Lawson. King himself did not arrive until March 18, over a month into the strike. He addressed a crowd of over 25,000, the “largest indoor gathering the civil rights movement had ever seen,” according to the King Institute at Stanford Henry Loeb was the mayor of Mem- University. When he returned on the 28th to lead a march, over 20,000 local students phis, called the National Guard and missed school to participate. The march ended early after violent protests broke out. imposed martial law on protesters. Mayor Loeb, calling in some 4,000 National Guard troops, soon imposed martial law. Daily protests, however, continued within Memphis.

Not until April 16, nearly two weeks after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., was the strike ended. The agreement reached with the city council guaranteed a better wage and recognized the workers’ union. Just a few months later, the workers again had to threaten a strike to force the city council to follow through.

The Memphis of 1968 doesn’t have the same Facebook pages that Portland, Maine, does. Yet the same inequality that sparked the Civil Rights Movement existed in Portland; it just didn’t manifest itself the same way it did in the South. In that way, the differences between the Portland and Memphis of 1968 were not large: both were perpetrators of discrimination and segregation, both were Sanitation workers held signs that read “I am a man” as a statement of cities that favored those who were wealthy and white. The dignity against the unfair treatment of their employers. only difference is that the struggles of the repressed in Memphis boiled over, their pain pushed outward for the rest of the world to see and to remember, instead of hiding on peaceful downtown streets.

PlayNotes 15 The World of The Mountaintop Non-Violent Protests after King Because organized peaceful protest was a new concept in the U.S., civil rights protest- ers went through training withstand the violence and abuse that would come their way without retaliation. Some, like the girl pictured at the right, had cigarette smoke blown in their faces and cigarettes held to their skin to train themselves not to react. Their tactics paved the way for other marginalized groups to form their own movements and fight for their rights. Some of the tactics protesters employed include: • forming organizations around certain issues • sit-in protests • marches • boycotts • legal action • making conscious decisions about appearance and media This timeline shows the various events that typically define the history of the Civil Rights Movement, but also shows the variety of demonstrations protesters utilized to effect change. 1954 May 17 The Supreme Court overturns segregation in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka,KS. Integration is now law, it will take several years to enforce. 1955 Aug. 28 Teenager Emmitt Till is brutally murdered in Mississippi. His white murderers are acquitted in court but boast of their actions to the press. Dec. 1. Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her arrest sparks a boycott that forces city buses to integrate. 1957 Jan. 10 The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil rights organization, is formed with Martin Luther King, Jr. as its president. July 19 The NAACP Youth Council in Wichita, Kansas stages a sit-in protest . Sit-ins become an important way for students to protest. 1960 Apr. 17 The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) is formed after sit-in protests spread throughout the South. May The Freedom Riders, a group of young black and white people, attempt to ride buses around the South and are seriously attacked several times. 1963 Aug. 28 Civil rights activists gather for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; over 250,000 attend.

1964 Jan. 23 The 24th amendment to the Constitution is ratified, making poll taxes and other ways of preventing poor Americans from voting illegal. June Youth across the country go to Mississippi to help with voter registration. Three volunteers--two white, one black--are murdered. 1965 Feb, 21 Activist Malcolm X is assassinated. Mar. 25 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. leads a march from Selma to Montgomery. Police attack the peaceful protesters, causing a national outcry. Oct. 15 The Black Panther Party, a black socialist, revolutionary group, is founded. They adopt a militant approach to racism, as opposed to peaceful protest. 1967 July 23 Riots break out in Detroit after police raid a black power meeting. Race riots break out in several cities around the United States. 1968 Apr. 4 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated. Apr. 11 President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to curb escalating tensions around the nation following King’s assassination. 1971 Apr. 20 The Supreme Court rules that busing students is a legal means of integration. Cities across the country set up bus plans for their schools. 16 The Mountaintop The World of The Mountaintop Here are a few of the movements that drew inspiration from the non-violent protests of the Civil Rights Movement. Feminism Feminism is the name of several different movements for gender equity in the United States. These movements are called “waves” and are divided into three parts. Second wave feminism (c.1920-c.1990) focused more on social issues, including workplace and reproductive rights. During the 1960s and 1970s, large forces like the Sexual Revolution and the women’s liberation movement brought feminist protests to the national stage and created change in some of society’s patriarchal structures. Unfor- tunately, second wave feminism was also incredibly divisive as a movement, with the issues of middle-class, cisgender, straight, white women taking precedence over other women. Third wave feminism (1990-the present) seeks to incorporate many of the voices that were ignored by many second wave feminists. Today’s feminists are now addressing and discussing the issues of women of color, trans women, queer women, and sex workers far more inclusively and respectfully. Third wave feminists continue to push for social reform, but the movement has also branched out to critiques of subjects like gender roles and pop culture. Large protests like the SlutWalk challenge assump- tions of rape culture in society. LGBTQIA Rights The word “homosexual” was defined by medical professionals in the early 1800s as a mental disorder; not long after, laws were enacted that criminalized queer sex and cross-dressing throughout the United States. By the 1950s, groups like the Daughters of Bilitis and the Mattachines sought to educate people, both straight and not, to normalize the concept of homosexuality. In the 1960s, riots broke out throughout the country after police raids on LGBT spaces, the most famous of which is the Stone- wall riots of 1969. Protests in the 1970s became more established and organized, so that by the end of the decade activists held the first National March in Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. During the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, activists in groups like ACT-UP held die-ins near government buildings and hospitals to garner public attention and support for those with the disease. The movement only began to move forward again towards the end of the 1990s, when issues like marriage equality began to spread throughout the states, culminating in the 2015 Supreme Court decision that same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states. Things are still far from equal for the LGBTQIA community, however; it will be interesting to see where activists take the movement in the coming months and years. Disability Movement The term “disability” covers a very broad range of issues for a very broad range of people. Some people have mental disabilities; some are blind and/or deaf; some need help with mobility. Just as there are a multitude of needs people with disabilities can have, the disability movement has many faces and goals. Certain groups began to receive funding after World War II, when soldiers came back with severe injuries. These groups inspired many Social Security Acts in the 1950s and 1960s, including the development of Medicare and Medicaid. Much of the activist aspect of the move- ment began in the early 1970s with the Independent Living movement. Groups like ADAPT (Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transit) physically blocked buses with their wheelchairs in cities around the country to force more accessible transit systems and also engaged in legal battles for the same goal. The Americans with Dis- abilities Act (1990) made great strides in many areas. Since the 1990s, many disability rights activists have fought against the assisted suicides of disabled people like Terri Schiavo.

PlayNotes 17 The World of The Mountaintop Social Media to Social Movements It’s August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. is about to deliver his speech from the March on Washington. Yet he’s speaking online, not in front of hundreds of thousands. King checks his phone before he walks in front of the camera. His Facebook group is closing in on several million “likes.” The entirety of the speech is live-tweeted and then picked up by the New York Times, which promptly creates an open discussion thread on its article. It’s screen-captured and posted to Tumblr, which is then filtered and shared on Instagram.

Ignore the hypotheticals, the “Reverend” on Facebook, or the Internet existing in the 1960s, and focus on what happens next. More than likely, what happens next is piecemeal, it’s close to nothing. What happens next is an absence: an absence of marching, of media coverage, of tangible voices. Social media, as ever-present and useful as it has been in the Arab Spring or the Occupy Movement, is limited by its core elements.

The Internet is the platform of the people. It’s democratic. One’s voice isnot limited by his or her wealth or status on the Internet. Anyone who can get online Protests like the Montgomery Bus Boycott, pic- has as much of a voice as anyone else. This democracy severely limits the traditional tured above, paved the way for current civil effectiveness of person-to-person social movements. When there is no hierarchy rights protests. or centralized voice, the most powerful aspect of social movements online wanes. For instance, the protests and unrest that accompanied the Arab Spring were fueled by an online presence. Having instant, intangible communication allows for a large group of people to know their protest or march will be supported without meeting in person. This fluid and seemingly invisible method of communication allows for protests and gatherings in many places where visible dissent is punished. However, because the organization is fluid, there’s no way to build up to anything larger or a concrete political organization. Discussing her paper on the efficacy of social movements, Zeynep Tufekci, an assistant professor at UNC Chapel Hill, is quoted as saying, “By pushing them [social movements] into the spotlight without infrastructure, social media lets them scale up without being ready for what comes next.”

Outside of the Arab Spring and away from the political complexities The Arab Spring is a series of democratic- upris associated with that movement, one could look at the Moral Monday ings in the Middle East and North Africa in early protests of 2013 in North Carolina. Various groups protested bills being 2011. passed by the Republican-controlled congress, which restricted “voting rights, and limited abortion access, among others.” Dr. Jen Schradie, a sociologist from UC Berkeley, asked her students to follow the Twitter feed of the Moral Monday protests. Her students remarked how effective Twitter was in getting people to show up. Having actually been in conversation with the NC NAACP, Dr. Schradie came to find out that most of those protesting at the Capitol building were recruited from the NC NAACP’s grassroots movements.

The preceding in no way is meant as a denigration of social media nor its helpfulness in social movements. Rather, it should serve as an illustration of the enduring use of person- to-person interactions in building a social movement. Tufekci, in the same interview, goes on to discuss the effectiveness of the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955–56. The boycott was a prolonged campaign, one dependent on coherent organization and a clear goal. Most of the social movements starting online lack those; see the Occupy Movement and the lack of direction that occurred during their initial protests. Yet this hasn’t stopped People from across North Carolina them from existing and reoccurring in perpetuity (e.g., KONY 2012, #YesAllWomen, came together to protest on Moral etc.). For more information, the Guardian has a helpful article on how to create one’s own Monday in 2013. social media movement. You’re invited to get to work; just remember boots on the ground always help. 18 The Mountaintop The World of The Mountaintop Music, Memphis, and MLK Jr.

Music is a medium that transcends language and culture. Naturally, it was heavily used during the African- American Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. It inspired unity, hope, forgiveness, acceptance, and equality. The pride and passion of the movement combined with the music machine that was Memphis in the 1960’s produced thousands of songs that provided inspiration for all peoples; even movement moguls like Martin MLK sings with protesters at the 1965 march Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery. These influential tunes morphed the new genre of different songs known as “freedom songs.” Freedom songs served as a mechanism for unity among the black community during the movement. The main identifier of a freedom song was that it was sung by participants of the movement. This music chose to embody happiness, sadness, joy, and determination. The songs served as a means of communication when words just were not enough.

Music communicated unspeakable feelings and the desire for radical change. The melodies strengthened the movement, adding variety to freedom progression strategies. The songs were highly successful in that they were direct and repetitive, getting the message across clearly and efficiently. Cadences were simple with repeating choruses, which allowed easy involvement within both black and white communities, furthering the spread of the song’s message. There was often more singing than talking during protests and demonstrations, showing the power of the songs. Nurturing those who came to participate in the movements was vital, which would be done in the form of song. Freedom songs were often used politically to grab the attention of the nation to address the severity of segregation.

Songs were often derived from Christianity, usually from hymns. Hymns were slightly altered to incorporate wording reflective upon civil rights protests. The songs were brought out of the churches and into the streets. Although most freedom songs derived from hymns, songs from other genres were also included. To accommodate those who were not as religious, rock and roll songs could be altered to become freedom songs, which allowed for a broader audience to partake in the singing.

The combination of gospel hymns and classic rock and roll melodies lead to Motown’s heavy presence in the freedom song genre. Tunes from Motown could be heard all over Memphis. Songs such as “Dancing in the Streets” and “Heat Wave” by Martha and the Vandellas as well as “Respect” by Aretha Franklin were heard on the radio and at rallies. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself had some favorite song that he used to inspire himself before speeches. A rendition of “Amazing Grace” sung by the Jackson 5 was a staple in his pre-speech ritual. MLK Jr. also found a long of solace and comfort in a collection of hymns sung by Mahalia Jackson. Hymns such as “Precious Lord, Take My Hand”, “If I Can Help Somebody”, and “We Shall overcome.” Coretta Scott King, wife of MLK Jr., spoke of her husband’s passion for music in her 1969 book Life With Martin Luther King Jr. “I never really told him he couldn’t sing, He had a good voice for a choir.” She continued saying, “His gift was speaking more than singing, but he loved music.”

Music was and is still today a medium that moves seamlessly through the boundaries of society. The Civil Rights Movement was wise in use it’s power for equality and peace. PlayNotes 19 The World of The Mountaintop “Phenomenal Woman”: Female Civil Rights Leaders In The Mountaintop, Camae calls black women “mules of the world.” This attitude toward the lives and actions of black women has pervaded many spaces, public and private, for hundreds of years. From Camae’s anonymous death to Sandra Bland’s recent murder in police custody, black women, including those involved in activist circles, have experienced and continue to experience aggressions both big and small from outside and inside forces. Black women were some of the most active participants in the Civil Rights Movement, but their contributions often fall by the wayside of history. The problems these women faced com- prise a strange mix of both racism and sexism. Scholar and activist Kimberlé Crenshaw says of black women that “often they experience double discrimination . . . the combined effects Rosa Parks spearheaded the Civil of practices which discriminate on the basis of race and on the basis of sex. And sometimes Rights Movement, but she is the tip of they experience discrimination as Black women not the the iceberg of women’s impact on the sum of race and sex discrimination, but as Black women.” movement.

The women leaders of the Civil Rights Movement might not have shared the limelight with their male contemporaries, but their influence shaped the events that spurred revolution. Some of the most essential activists of the 1950s were the women who protested the Montgomery bus transportation. These women were members of the NAACP and other activist organizations. Rosa Parks is the most famous protester of the conflict, and while people have a tendency to undermine her contribu- tion by saying she was simply tired, that’s not her whole story. She was secretary of the local NAACP chapter, and At 15, Claudette Colvin refused to give up her bus seat, spearheading the legal case her action was far more a political act of rebellion than a that forced Montgomery buses to integrate. simple action of an overworked seamstress. Rosa was also not the only woman to protest this exact issue. Claudette Colvin was a high school student and member of the junior NAACP chapter who refused to give up her seat on a bus months before Rosa Parks. Local civil rights leaders did not want to use Colvin’s case as a rallying point because she was also unmarried and pregnant at the time. Dorothy Height is sometimes Colvin was not the only woman activist whose work was ignored by known as the “godmother of the Civil Rights Movement” for male civil rights leaders. Many women held integral roles in orga- her work. nizing protests and received little or no recognition for their efforts. Women like Ruby Dee and Daisy Bates were integral to the organi- zation of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Dorothy Irene Height, who was the national presi- dent of Delta Sigma Theta, a collegiate sorority for black women, inspired hundreds of young women to attend the same march. They believed Height would have a chance to speak, and while she did stand on the platform with men like Ruby Dee was an actress and ac- Martin Luther King Jr., she was not given any tivist. She emceed the 1963 March such chance. In fact, no women were allowed to to Washington. give speeches, because many of the male leaders of the movement, including King, believed that a woman’s place was in the home. Unfortunate- ly, in the 1950s and 1960s, most American men accepted this attitude as the norm; the women’s liberation movement wouldn’t occur until the 1970s. Daisy Bates was at the front lines to integrate the school system in Little Rock.

20 The Mountaintop The World of The Mountaintop The legacy of these women inspired other women into action. Here are some of the most famous Black women activists who rose to prominence after Martin Luther King Jr.’s death.

ngela Davis (b. 1944) is a ell hooks (b. 1952) is a femi- lice Walker (b. 1944) is an scholar who started her ac- nist and writer. Her book activist and author of The tivistA work as a communist dur- Feministb Theory: From Margin to ColorA Purple. In 1979, she coined ing the late 1960s. She is most Center written in 1985, boldly the term womanism, a response well-known for her criticism of challenged second wave femi- to feminsim that focuses on the the American prison-industrial nism’s focus on white, straight uplifting and empowerment of complex, but has written and women and called for a more women; is queer inclusive; and spoken a great deal about the interectional approach. She con- addresses both practical issues intersections of race, class, and tinues to be an important voice women of color face and an el- gender. in feminist spaces today. ement of spirituality about the identities of these women.

udre Lorde (1934-1992) averne Cox (b.1984) is an licia Garza, Patrisse Cul- was a noted activist and au- actress, producer, and activ- lors, and Opal Toretti are thorA whose focus included race, ist.L She has used her role on the theA founders of the Black Lives feminism, womanism, and queer show Orange is the New Black to Matter movement, which they rights. As a black lesbian herself, create much-needed dialogue started after Trayvon Martin’s Ms. Lorde openly criticized the around the marginalized lives of death. They revolutionized the feminist movement’s focus on trans women of color, especially way that protests spread through the issues of white and straight those in prison. She has become their ingenuous use of Twitter women during the 1980s. a spokeswoman for many issues hashtags and other social me- dia platforms to spread the word on race and gender. about police brutality and rac- ism.

PlayNotes 21 The World of The Mountaintop Modern-day Martyrs: How We Make Saints of the Famous

Before 2014’s Selma, there was the 1999 film Selma, Lord, Selma. Before the latter film, there was the 1987 playThe Meeting, concerning an imaginary meeting between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Regardless of how humanizing those works of art are, they’re still about King the leader, the guiding light, and not King the man. Even the memorial of King in Washington, D.C., had trouble accurately representing King as a man. The inscription on the memorial was paraphrased from a much larger quote, partially obscuring what he initially meant. While Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop is a fictional retelling of an actual event, the play presents King as a man and The film Selma (2014) presents a dramatized account not solely as a leader or of Martin Luther King, Jr. leading the famous 1964 hero. This paring down of march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery. humanity and deification is not unique to Martin Luther King Jr. Historical figures, especially those considered martyrs, are often reduced to the cause they were fighting for and nothing else.

“We also believe that the white race in South Africa should be the predominating race,” does not come from the motto of an Apartheid support group. Instead, it’s a 1903 quote from Mahatma Gandhi. It’s not misattributed or some political gaffe; it’s one of many statements from Gandhi belittling and supporting discrimination against black South Africans. Five years later, he’s quoted as saying, “We could understand not being classed with the whites, but to be placed on the same level with the Natives seemed too much to put up with.” In the latter quote, he’s discussing his time in prison and the way he was assigned the letter Christian cultures have a long history of venerating mar- tyrs, such as early Christians like St. Sebastian who died “N” for “Native,” something he described as more than a traditional for their faith. hardship.

Gandhi’s view of superiority over black South Africans doesn’t eliminate the positive work he did for India. By all means, India should continue to pay respects to him on Martyrs’ Day. His fight for Indian independence and his reliance on nonviolence are worth remembering, but those positive qualities don’t exist in isolation. Great men are just as capable of exhibiting flaws as everyone else and it’s an important lesson to remember.

In his youth, Mahatma Gandhi attended school in South Africa and got a firsthand opportunity to observe apartheid. Unfortunately, he did not feel empathy toward the plight of black South Africans. 22 The Mountaintop The World of The Mountaintop

“He didn’t know what should be done about it, even contemplating ‘free[ing] all the slaves and send[ing] them to Liberia—to their own native land.” The man who “didn’t know what should be done about it” was Abraham Lincoln. It was the man behind the Emancipation Proclamation and not a confused Southerner after the end of the Civil War. Lincoln also considered not interfering with the South’s use of slaves and compensating slave owners for their “losses after slaves were freed.” This is in stark contrast to the man who would later urge for the immediate and widespread dismantling of Mahatma Gandhi was a pacifist whose peaceful pro- tests brought an end to British rule of India. He also slavery. lived in a highly racist and sexist society, and his ac- tions often reflected those idealogies. If one grows up in the United States and takes even the most casual of American history classes, a very particular image of Lincoln starts to appear. Lincoln is presented, from birth, as an abolitionist, an unflinching bulwark against a raging tide of white supremacy and entrenched slavery. In actuality, he was a politician and a man, like every other man, who would change his views. This evolution of views doesn’t eradicate his monumental importance to the history of the United States; it merely broadens the lens of history on a martyr. Abraham Lincoln was a strategic politician. While he did free slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation, The biographies he enacted it at a highly advantageous moment. of important men, whether they concern Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, or Mahatma Gandhi, are often unintentionally replaced with hagiographies: biographies intent on canonizing their subjects. Just like the books and articles that expand upon Gandhi and Lincoln are important, so too is The Mountaintop. The play does not ignore such attributes as King being a heavy smoker and a noted flirt. Frequently, people associated with martyrdom are immune to any sort Like Katori Hall does in The Mountaintop, we need to examine of expanding of the historical record. The only appropriate our personal and social attitudes toward important figures in way to honor their respective deaths and to encourage history to separate man from myth. further inspiration is treat them as they were: human beings.

PlayNotes 23 The World of The Mountaintop Christianity in The Mountaintop In discussing the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we cannot ignore the presence of faith, especially that of Christianity. Brought up in the church, the son of a minister, Dr. King was a devout Christian from an early age and went on to join the ministry himself. This foundation of faith would help to shape his political and social ideas as an adult and as a leader of the civil rights movement. King viewed himself as a servant to God and it was in the Lord’s name that all things were done. He felt he was serving a divine purpose by fighting for equality for all people. He is quoted as saying, “If any earthly institution or custom conflicts with God’s will, it is your Christian duty to oppose it. You must never allow the transitory, evanescent demands of man-made institutions to take precedence over the eternal demands of the Almighty God.” In the play specifically we see his interaction with the Divine. He confronts one of the heavenly hosts and he also goes on to have a talk with God herself. Yes, God is a woman, and she is “Black and Proud” according to Hall. We see an unchristian moment from King as he bargains with God, or at least attempts it, and is rejected. God hangs up on him. “God always answers prayer, but sometimes the answer is no.” Only through his faith does Dr. King manage all of the great tasks of his lifetime. His faith is what grounded him in the fight against bigotry and inequality. His faith is what comforted him in times of being jailed, in his moments of doubt, his moments of fear; for Dr. King, everything was resolved by faith. The play shows us the two sides of Christianity: the believer acting The church where Martin Luther King, Jr. was ap- in the will of God, and the sinner who has fallen short many times. pointed, Emmanuel Church in Montgomery, still King admits to having doubts throughout his time in fighting for operates today. what is right. He admits to having made mistakes where his family and marriage are concerned. He admits to imperfection. That is the most impressive part of his love of and faith in God. Despite so much happening, King still clings to the importance of Christ and of faith in the darkest of moments. God does the same for King. She does not abandon him; Camae tells him that his file of blessings in heaven is “bigger than his FBI file.” We cannot separate Dr. King from his mission, his actions, and his faith. The three are interconnected because that is the life he led. Faith was the epicenter of all of his choices, and even when he strayed from the path, he relied on God. In The Mountaintop, we are shown the ultimate moment of that faith, when he chooses to let go, and trust that God will take care of his followers and continue the mission he has set out to complete. While best known for his civil rights work, King also worked as a minister.

24 The Mountaintop The World of The Mountaintop Angels in their Many Forms Close your eyes. Picture an angel. You probably conjured up an image of a figure in white clothes, with light skin and hair, white feathered wings, and a glowing halo over the head. Our notion of angels comes from the long Christian tradition of angelic depictions that dates back almost 2000 years. While angel imagery didn’t become popular until after Christianity was founded, religious texts have referenced the ethereal beings since the Old Testament and Qur’an were written. All this being said, it is important to remember that not all religious and/or cultural traditions picture angels as winged and glowing; there are even traditions that don’t factor angels into their cultural history. But for Martin Luther King Jr., and for many Americans in the 1960s and now, angels continue to play a large role in the constructs of contemporary Christianity and American society.

While it might seem easy to define what an angel is for many people, it is actually quite difficult to pinpoint a single explanation because biblical texts and religious traditions give angels different qualities and appearances. For example, Judaism considers all physical characteristics given to angels human-like, because angels are spiritual beings and don’t actually have earthly forms; all physical qualities attributed to angels are just a literal depiction of their spiritual abilities. The best wide-ranging definition that we can use, as Valery Rees writes in her book From Gabriel to Lucifer, is that “angels cover quite Biblical descriptions of angels, like a large class of beings . . . [and] they are generally unseen as they proceed about their this seraph, vary greatly from the im- business, but are able to become visible when necessary.” This also extends to the idea that ages we recognize today. angels are the conduit between God and human beings, bringing messages from God to the people and vice versa, as well as angels being an extension of God to produce effects in the physical world.

The most commonly known angels are Gabriel, Michael, Azra’il (the angel of death), and the infamous fallen angel Lucifer. Throughout religious mythology, these angels have appeared to humankind in various appearances, though most often as men. Why is this? As mentioned before, angels by definition are not human, and therefore do not automatically have human characteristics. Then who made the decision to depict angels as such? One has to think about the time and place in which these religious texts were written, that is, in a society dominated by male opinion. As writers often endow stories and characters with parts of themselves, it is not surprising that the angels of this religious mythology are shown as having traditionally male traits.

If most angels are portrayed as men, how does Camae fit into this predefined idea? Katori Hall confronts this concept head on as she portrays the angel as a black woman who smokes, drinks, cusses, and is sexual. By giving Camae qualities that one would probably not associate with an angel, Hall creates a language that allows for human error, in addition to wisdom, in the divine. When thinking about the public image of Martin Luther King Jr., one will notice that typical angelic qualities are often imposed upon King the human being. Over the years, this has enforced the idea that this hugely influential man was a saintly person and, while this is not entirely false, it becomes easy to forget that King had his own flaws, as any person does. Hall’s allowance for both humans and angels to have both angelic and human characteristics creates a stronger connection between humanity and God; Camae the angel allows King to be more human.

PlayNotes 25 The World of The Mountaintop Interview with Gerald E. Talbot Gerald E. Talbot is a prominent Portland civil rights activist and the first president of the Portland branch of the NAACP. His many credits include being the first African American to be elected to the state legislature, getting the word “Nigger” removed from all of Maine’s agricultural records and documents, and founding a massive archive of historical documents and photographs called the “Gerald E. Talbot Collection.”

Talbot has made a distinct and lasting contribution to the Civil Rights Move- ment. He continues to notice and to call attention to the issues that need to be solved, no matter what their size. Many would agree that his passion and drive toward equality and civil rights have helped make Maine the place that it is today.

KR: What drew you to civil rights originally?

GT: I got involved in civil rights in 1964, almost by mistake, while I was working down at the Maine Printing Company. A man walked in one day, and he said to me “Would you run to be the president of the NAACP?” I had never run for anything in my life! I asked him why and he told me that we needed a branch in Portland and that he would get people to back me. So we had a meeting on May the 11th, 1964, over at Woodford’s Con- gregational Church and they chose me as the president. I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do, but little by little things started happening. I knew in my mind about civil rights, black history, and discrimination but they were all in my mind. At that time you knew these things were going on, but growing up in the state of Maine, a white state, you didn’t see any of it right in front of you. So I took all these things into consideration when my wife and I were looking for a decent place to live in Portland. As we were looking around for a place we’d be getting all kinds of people saying, “You ain’t gonna find it.” “It ain’t gonna happen.” This was because there was a lot of discrimination and prejudice at that time. The places that were being offered to us were just plain dumps. That ain’t gonna happen to my family. So we tried that a couple of Talbot, pictured on the right, helped to establish the local times, and we just kept getting turned down. I was in a position of NAACP and helped in the national push for civil rights. thinking, as far as race is concerned, if I don’t like the way things are going, I’m gonna make myself heard. I was a young black man, and I needed to make myself known! I was thinking, “There are black people out here, and we should be involved!” We eventually found a place on Morgan Court out by Catherine McCauley, but little by little, with situations like this, I began to see what was really happening and what needed to be changed.

Over 250,000 people, including Gerald E. Talbot, marched on Washington in 1963. 26 The Mountaintop The World of The Mountaintop

KR: Describe your experience with Martin Luther King Jr. How has he impacted your career?

GT: When the march on Washington came around, I wasn’t even sure what to expect. I was asking myself if I was going to even live through it because I didn’t know what was go- ing to happen. So I went down there with two carloads of people and the highway was bumper to bumper the whole way. When we were there I marched with him and a whole crowd of people from the Washington Monument down to the Lincoln Memorial. That was about as close to Dr. King as I ever got, but I was close enough to hear what he was saying, to see what he was saying, to feel what he was say- ing; even though I didn’t get the chance to meet him I felt as close to him as ever. When Dr. King was shot, we set up a march of 250 people down Congress Street so that every- The main highways between Maine and Washington experienced body would know where we stood. bumper to bumper traffic before the march because there were so many people who attended. KR: Could you tell me about the Gerald E. Talbot Collec- tion?

GT: I had been collecting historical black books, pictures, everything, ever since I could put my hands on them. Whenever I would be in another place or another state, I would always be looking for more documents about black history. So I start- ed bringing my collection to schools and churches, giving speeches about black history and letting children look at it. For 30 or 40 years I would go and give these speeches, because at that time there weren’t many people who spoke about black history and it wasn’t taught in schools. Most of the time, though, this stuff was just sitting in my attic, not even going anywhere. So I decided that I was going to donate the collection to the University of Southern Maine, because that would be where the greatest number of people would be able to use it and learn from it. It’s been there ever since.

KR: What are the next steps for all of us?

GT: As far as civil rights are concerned, we have to take the next step, and we haven’t yet. We as people have to get closer to who we are. We have to understand who we are. That’s a big project. We like to say that we’re together, but we as people are not together yet. Many people still see things as “white and black.” I was lucky in my way because I was brought up in a mixed society, an accepting soci- ety. I carry that with me wherever I go. If someone doesn’t like me Gerald E. Talbot has conributed a rich acedemic resources for what color I am, that’s fine because I can take you for whatever through the Gerald E. Talbot Collection at the University color you are. Say you go to a mostly white church and you’re sitting of Southern Maine. there one Sunday morning when a black couple walks in. The first thing you’re gonna think is, “Look, there’s a black couple.” I hate that it’s a “black couple,” they’re human beings like you and me! They’re black, but they’re human beings. That’s where I’m coming from.

PlayNotes 27 The Mountaintop in the Classroom Instant Lessons Getting Started: Pre-Show Activities

1. Our PlayNotes editors wrote about people who have inspired them to take action and stand up for what they believe in. Have you been inspired by anyone in your life? What qualities in that person (or people) do you find admirable?

2. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech, he expresses his hopes for the future. Write down five dreams of your own. These can be dreams for yourself, your family, your friends, or the world.

3. In “Music, Memphis, and MLK,” we learn that Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite song to listen to before giving speeches was “Amazing Grace” sung by the Jackson 5. What is your favorite song to get you pumped up? Get together with your friends and make a Pump-Up Playlist of all of your songs. Give your playlist a name and send it to educa- [email protected] and we will put it on our website!

4. Martin Luther King Jr. was an extremely successful public speaker. What made him so engaging? Look up one of his speeches on YouTube. What moments stand out to you?

Samuel L. Jackson (King) and Angela Bassett (Camae) appeared in the Broadway production of The Mountaintop.

28 The Mountaintop The Mountaintop in the Classroom Instant Lessons Making Connections: Post-Show Activities

1. Were there any aspects of Martin Luther King Jr.’s character in The Mountaintopthat surprised you? If so, what were they? Were there any aspects of his character that you recognized or expected? 2. Many tactics were used in the Civil Rights Movement, including nonviolent protests, sit-ins, marches, candlelight vigils, and prayer sessions. The LGBT community does a Day of Silence to call attention to the effects of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools. Recently in Portland, there was a rally in Monument Square to support Planned Parenthood funding. Is there any cause that you are passionate about? If so, what kind of nonviolent tactics would you use to create awareness about this cause?

3. In the play, Martin Luther King Jr. talks on the phone with God, whom he claims sounds like his grandma. If you could talk on the phone with anyone (alive or dead), who would it be? What questions would you ask? What do imagine they might tell you?

4. Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong advocate for using discussion and communication to solve problems and to sort through emotions. Dance, music, and poetry can also be useful in these situations. What kind of method would you use to help express your emotions when words are just not enough?

5. If you were given Camae’s job, who would you choose to spend time with on their last day on earth? What would you talk to them about? How would you comfort them? Could you make a piece of art out of these ideas? A song? A poem? A dance? A book? A play? A painting? A sculpture?

Many schools show support for LGBTQIA teens through GLSEN’s annual Day of Silence.

PlayNotes 29 The Mountaintop in the Classroom Glossary

Pall Malls – Brand of cigarettes introduced in 1899 in Britain. Moved to the American market in 1907, when it was purchased by American Tobacco. By 1960 it was the #1 cigarette brand in the United States.

Winston’s – American cigarette brand. Introduced in 1954, it would become the world’s most popular brand of cigarettes in 1966.

Corrie – Nickname for Coretta Scott King. (1927 – 2006), Beloved wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After his death, Coretta founded the King Foundation to continue the work of her late husband. She was vocal on many important issues throughout her lifetime, including her support of the LGBT rights movement, and her opposition to the US’s involvement in foreign war.

Woolworth’s – Originally founded as a five–and–dime store in 1879, Woolworth’s would go on to be the largest department store chain in America by 1979. After having success in England, Woolworth’s implemented lunch counters in many of its locations. The store in Greensboro, North Carolina was the location of the 1960 lunch counter sit-in. On February 1, 1960, 4 African-American students sat down at the lunch counter, where they were refused service. This would set off six months of sit- ins and boycotts of the Woolworth stores. A piece of the counter from the sit-in is now on display at the Smithsonian.

Mason Temple – Headquarters of the Church of God in Christ, the largest African American Pentecostal group in the world. Built in 1941, named after Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, the group’s founder, who is buried in a marble tomb inside the temple.

Kool’s – Brand of cigarettes founded in 1933, enjoyed major success until the mid 1950’s. The brand declined due to rising health concerns.

Pulpit – A raised platform or lectern in a church or chapel from which the preacher delivers a sermon.

Yolanda – Yolanda Denise King (November 17, 1955 – May 15, 2007), oldest child of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King. She became an actress and strong voice civil rights and LGBT rights.

Tom Lee Park – A local Park in Memphis, Tennessee, named after an African-American river worker responsible for saving the lives of 32 passengers when a boat sank.

Bougie – Anything that is perceived as “upscale” from a blue-collar point of view. ‘Bougie’ is a truncation of the word Bourgeoisie, which refers to the middle-class in Europe. In the US, this term refers to a more affluent class level.

Fruit – A slang term used to refer to a homosexual male. Usually negative in connotation

Hoover – J. Edgar Hoover ( January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) , first director of the FBI, known for spying on many prominent members of the civil rights movement and for trying to discredit them both publicly and in their private lives.

Ezekiel – Camae is referencing the book of the bible in which the Prophet Ezekiel gives description of the choirs of angels and their roles.

Stonewall riots - A series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the gay community (LGBT) against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn, located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. They are widely considered to constitute the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBT rights in the United States.

30 The Mountaintop The Mountaintop in the Classroom Further Resources

Books Fire from the Rock by Sharon Draper Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

Films Freedom Riders (2010) The Help (2011) The Long Walk Home (1990) Malcolm X (1992) Selma (2014)

Plays and Musicals Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes by Tony Kushner The Brother/Sister Plays by Tarell Alvin McCraney In the Blood by Suzan Lori-Parks Memphis by Joe DiPietro The Scottsboro Boys by David Thompson Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 by Anna Deveare Smith

PlayNotes 31 The Mountaintop in the Classroom

uman progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goalH of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and pas- sionate concern of dedicated individuals.

—Martin Luther King, Jr. 32 The Mountaintop PORTLANDSTAGE where great theater lives

To learn more, visit portlandstage.org | 207.774.0465 25A Forest Avenue, Portland, ME 04101

For more info about student matinees, check out our website! Portland Stage 2015/2016 Season

Anita Stewart Executive & Artistic Director

Artistic/Production Meg Anderson Scenic Technician & Artist Ted Gallant Technical Director Myles C. Hatch, Shane Van Vliet Stage Managers Emily Kenny Lighting & Sound Supervisor/ Production Manager Susan Thomas Costume Shop Supervisor

Affiliate Artists Ron Botting Peter Brown Daniel Burson Maureen Butler Moira Driscoll Andrew Harris Abigail Killeen Daniel Noel Janice O’Rourke Michael Rafkin Ed Reichert Hans Indigo Spencer Dustin Tucker Bess Welden Sally Wood

Administration Paul Ainsworth Business Manager Heather Irish Box Office Associates Megan Doane General Manager & Intern Coordinator Heather Irish, Adam Thibodeau Assistant House Managers Myles C. Hatch Group Sales Coordinator Alex Kimmel Company Manager Martin Lodish Finance Director Carmen-maria Mandley Education Director & Literary Manager Renee Myhaver Assistant Box Office Manager JJ Peeler Social Media & Marketing Associate Eileen Phelan Marketing Director Elinor Reina Development Assistant Julianne Shea Education Adminstrator Donald Smith Audience Services & Box Office Manager Samara Yandell Development Manager

Intern Company Hannah Cordes Theatre for Kids / Education Mariele Fluegeman Directing & Dramaturgy Dana Hopkins Props Journeyman Benn May Directing & Dramaturgy Grace K. Murrin Stage Management Connor Pate Directing & Dramaturgy Kerry Randazzo General Administration Zoe Levine Sporer Sets & Carpentry Claire Taylor Stage Management Austin Tomison Electrics & Sound