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Taking place on April 3, 1968, “The Mountaintop” by Katori Hall is a gripping reimagining of events the night before the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After delivering one of his most memorable speeches, an exhausted Dr. King retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel while a storm rages outside. When a mysterious stranger arrives with some surprising news, King is forced to confront his destiny and his legacy.
Teaching Tolerance has designed a Teacher’s Guide for high school and college students who have seen or will see the Broadway play starring Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson. It explores the play’s key themes, helps to generate discussion and urges students to think about how they can continue King’s work. Th interdisciplinary teacher’s guide is aligned to national standards, including the English Language Arts Common Core.
The teaching guide includes three lessons. The first challenges students to rethink the idea of leadership and to create their own image of Dr. King. The second allows them to see King’s role within the context of the larger civil rights movement. The third passes King’s baton into their hands, asking them to search out and help resolve injustice and inequality where they see it.
Both “The Mountaintop” and this teaching guide call citizens of all ages to action. In the end, this is really how we honor the memory of Dr. King.
“The Mountaintop” will run from Oct. 13, 2011 until Jan. 15, 2012 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York, N.Y. Visit "The Mountaintop" website to buy tickets and to learn more about the production.
