Counting Down:
BWW Stage Mag The Mountaintop - York College of Pennsylvania Stage Mag

The Mountaintop
by
Katori Hall
at York College of Pennsylvania
 
October 19 - 21, 7 pm
 

THE MOUNTAINTOP was developed at the Lark Play Development Center,  New York City, and was first produced by Theatre 503 in June 2009  and further produced at Trafalgar Studio One in July 2009 by Sonia Friedman Productions and Jean Doumanian, Tali Pelman for Ambassador Theatre Group, Bob Bartner, Freddy DeMann, Jerry Frankel, Ted Snowdon and Marla Rubin Productions Ltd. 

THE MOUNTAINTOP was was developed at the 2008 Bay Area Playwrights Festival, a program of the Playwrights Foundation (Amy L. Mueller, Artistic Director). 
Original Broadway production produced by Jean Doumanian, Sonia Friedman Productions, Ambassador Theatre Group, Raise the Roof 7, Ted Snowdon, Alhadeff Productions/Lauren Doll, B Square + 4 Productions/Broadway Across America, Jacki Barlia Florin/Cooper Federman, Ronnie Planalp/Moellenberg Taylor and Marla Rubin Productions/Blumenthal Performing Arts, in association with Scott Delman.

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WPAC House Rules

MASKS - YCP Theatre strongly encourages our patrons to wear a mask inside the theatre space during productions; however, they are not required.

LATE SEATING - Latecomers will be seated at the direction of House Management. 

SMOKING POLICY - No smoking of any kind is allowed in the theatre 

PLEASE SILENCE ALL CELL PHONES WATCHES, PAGERS, OR ANY OTHER DEVICES THAT MAKE NOISE!

THE USE OF CAMERAS, VIDEO CAMERAS AND OTHER RECORDING DEVICES IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN.

The photographing or sound recording of any performance or the possession of any device for such photographing or sound recording inside this theatre, without written permission, is prohibited by copyright law.

ABSOLUTELY NO FOOD OR DRINK IS ALLOWED IN THE THEATRE AT ANY TIME.

BACKPACKS - Backpacks are not permitted in the theatre, as they create a safety hazard. If brought to a performance, backpacks will be taken and stored in the Box Office until the end of the show.

INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICIES - YCP makes every attempt not to cancel any performances. If the college is closed, the event will be canceled. Please check local media sources such as the YCP website for any updates of cancelation.

LOST AND FOUND - Lost and Found articles will be kept in the Box Office for 10 days. Please call 717-600-3868

SAFETY NOTICE - Please watch your step as you enter and exit the theatre space. Also, for your safety, please do not leave your seats to exit until the house lights come on at the end of the performance.

CONTACT INFORMATION 

  • York College of Pennsylvania Theatre Program
  • 441 Country Club Rd York, PA, 17403

 

FIRE NOTICE - The exit is indicated by a red 'Exit' sign nearest to the seat you occupy. In the event of a fire or other emergency, please walk to that exit; please do not run.

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES - Please report medical incidents to the Front of House staff either in the lobby or the Box Office. Please note that an AED is available in the lobby if necessary.

 

Dramaturgy

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, GA. Kings' work, legacy and   impact can still be felt and learned about   to this day, with MLK leading the charge with certain movements and organized marches throughout his live and the Civil Rights Movement, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington, the latter of which he delivered his famous speech, "I Have A Dream." 

King was honored with dozens of awards and honorary degrees for his achievement throughout his life. In addition to receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, King was awarded the NAACP Medal in 1957 and the American Liberties Medallion by the American Jewish Committee in 1965.

 

An advocate of non-violence, King always preached for his supporters to show love and turn the other cheek, despite the violence and hatred that was thrown at them on a daily basis. in Birmingham, Alabama, King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) changed their tactics. Rather than another march, they organized sit-ins in public spaces. This campaign resulted in at the time chief of police Bull Connor to resign, as well as having the city desegregate public spaces. During this campaign, however, Dr. King was arrested, which birthed his legendary "Letter from Birmingham Jail."

In his final days, MLK was visiting Memphis, TN to support the sanitation workers who were striking for better wages. On what would be his final night, April 3, 1968, King delivered his speech, "I've Been to The Mountaintop", which Katori Hall titles her play after. Some say that the wording of this final speech was haunting, as King's wording sounded like he was predicting his death. King was assassinated that very next day on April 4th on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. After his death, King was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1994 with his wife, Coretta.

 

 

Sources Consulted

 

  • “About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..” The King Center, February 3, 2022. https://thekingcenter.org/about-tkc/martin-luther-king-jr/.
  • Blake, John. “How MLK Became an Angry Black Man.” CNN, April 16, 2013. https://www.cnn.com/2013/04/16/us/king-birmingham-jail-letter-anniversary/index.html.
  • Editiors, History.com. “Martin Luther King Jr.. Born.” History.com, February 9, 2010. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/martin-luther-king-jr-born.
  • Editors, History.com. “Martin Luther King Jr: Day, Death, Quotes.” History.com, November 9, 2009. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr.
  • “Martin Luther King, Jr..” NAACP, May 11, 2021. https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/civil-rights-leaders/martin-luther-king-jr.
  • “The Nobel Peace Prize 1964.” NobelPrize.org. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/king/biographical/.

 

 

Cast

Acell Spencer '24
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dora Boateng '28
Camae

Creative Team

Des'ree Brown

Director

Eva Heier '24

Stage Manager

Suzanne Delle

Scenic Designer

Matthew Mitra

Lighting Designer

Zavier Augustus Lee Taylor

Projection Designer

Tiffany Zellner '19

Costume Designer

David Tyson '19

Main Electrician

TeAsia Lewis '22

Hair/Makeup Artisan

Crew

 

Stage Crew....................................................................................Jayden Bailey, Brae Bixler, Danny Haskins, Logan Skovron

Projections/Sound Asst/Board Op..........................................................Sayer Kobersmith

House Manager.....................................................................................Sara Purdon

Costume Assistant.................................................................................Grace Tan, Nicole Tsygan

Ushers........................................................................................................Students from THE154: Intro to Theatre classes

Meet the Company

Acell Spencer '24

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Acell Spencer is a senior year Theater major from Baltimore, MD. The Mountaintop serves as Spencer's senior year project. Previous YCP productions include Macbeth, where he played both Macduff and Banquo; The Moors (Mastiff); the livestreamed production of Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons (Oliver). Because They Have No Words (Tim) and A Christmas Carol (Scrooge). His most recent production before The Mountaintop was Topdog/Underdog, where he played the role of Booth. He’d like to thank his mother and father, and well as the rest of his family, for their confidence, love and support.

Dora Boateng '28

Camae
Dora Boateng is a freshman Theater Major from Reading, Pennsylvania. This is her first production at YCP. Previous productions include The Spelling Bee, where she played as a speller, In The Heights, where she understudied for Graffiti Pete, and The Addams Family as Pugsley Addams. Her most recent production before The Mountaintop was Pippin, where she played the role of Bertha. She'd like to thank her family and friends at home for all their love and encouragement as she pursues higher education at York College.

Des'ree Brown

Director
Des'ree Brown is a director, community organizer, and theater journalist from ancestral Piscataway land, colonially known as southern Maryland. She was recently on the road with the Broadway touring company of MOULIN ROUGE! The Musical. She has directed and assisted new works in institutions across the DMV, NYC, and the Bay Area including Berkeley Rep, The Kennedy Center, National Alliance of Musical Theatre, Round House Theatre, Washington National Opera, The 24-Hour Plays, Rorschach Theatre, and Two Strikes Theatre Collective. She has worked in a variety of artistic capacities at Baltimore Center Stage, Classic Stage Company, and Shakespeare Theatre Company. She is an alumni of Jose Solís's BIPOC Critics Lab, Black Theatre Coalition, and a recipient of the 2020 KCACTF SDC Fellowship.

Eva Heier '24

Stage Manager
Eva Heier is a senior double major in Theater and Mass Communications from Kingsville, MD. This is Eva’s second time stage managing, her first time being on Because They Have No Words in 2022. Her previous YCP Productions include A Christmas Carol (Narrator), The Moors (Agatha), Interview (Fourth Applicant), Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (Self/Others), Macbeth (Third Witch/Others). She was also in a community production at the Belmont Theater in Steel Magnolias (Shelby). Eva has enjoyed working on such an impactful show and hopes the audience is moved in the same way she was. She would like to thank her family and sorority sisters for their endless support.

Suzanne Delle

Scenic Designer
Suzanne Delle, (she/her) earned a MA in Arts Administration from Goucher College and an MFA in Directing from the Catholic University of America. Currently an Associate Professor at York College of PA she has directed and produced plays for the theater program since 2015. As an academic, she has tried to pass her love for theater, social change, and collaboration onto students. Currently the Chair for Region 2 of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, she has trained in Viewpoints, Intimacy Coordination, and Artistic Mental Health. Her latest article titled "Taking the Lore Out of Teaching Playwriting" was published by The International Journal of Arts Education in September. Special Thanks to her friends and former students who tackled this show with her: Desi, Matt, Tiffany, David, TeAsia & Zavier, and the current students who continue to go above and beyond in their quest to learn about and experience the theater arts at YCP.

Matthew Mitra

Lighting Designer
Matthew Mitra is a staff member at Penn State Harrisburg. This is Matt's 3rd production with York College of Pennsylvania. He is the Production Manager/Technical Director for the Mukund S. Kulkarni Theatre at Penn State Harrisburg. He is also an adjunct faculty member in the School of Humanities. Matthew has been the Production Designer/Technical Director for the School of Humanities Theatre productions since 2016. Before coming to Penn State Harrisburg, he was a staff member at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He worked for the media services department as the full-time lighting designer and as an adjunct faculty member in the theater program. Matthew serves as the resident lighting designer for Theatre Harrisburg under his business, Mitra Production Aesthetics, LLC. He received his M.F.A. in lighting design at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and graduated from Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania with his B.A. in theater: production and design.

Zavier Augustus Lee Taylor

Projection Designer
Zavier Augustus Lee Taylor is a multimedia artist and designer with a focus on interactive and impactful media design for live performances. He has a passion for being hands-on in the creation of new work. Zavier spends his time experimenting with motion graphics, visual art, videography, video editing, and sound design. He also has a vested interest in explorations of technology, education, the human form, blackness, mental health, nature, and abstraction. Zavier operates a multimedia production company known as ZALT Productions. ZALT Productions is a creative entity that enables people and businesses to realize their potential through design. He has worked with a number of venues such as The Apollo, The Guthrie, Arena Stage, Woolly Mammoth, Shakespeare Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Playmakers Rep, OSF, Geva Theatre, Roundhouse Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem, People's Light, Baltimore CenterStage, Studio Theatre and more. Zavier has an MFA in Media/Projection Design from UMD College Park and and BA from UNC-Chapel Hill in New Media and Performance. Learn more about Zavier's work by searching #ZALTproductions.

Tiffany Zellner '19

Costume Designer
Tiffany Zellner is no stranger to YCP, she graduated in 2019 with her BA in Theatre after accepting a full time position with Oregon Shakespeare Festival in March of her senior year. Tiffany now resides in Providence, RI where she has worked full time for Trinity Repertory Company going into her third season as their only wig and makeup artist. In addition to TRC she has also worked in Rhode Island with The Gamm (An Octoroon) and Barker Playhouse (A Raisin in the Sun). Prior to her move back to the East Coast Tiffany was an assistant and technician at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (2019/20), The Colorado Shakespeare Festival (2018), and Central City Opera (2021). Some of her favorite shows to work have been: By The Queen (TRC), Sueño (TRC), Between Two Knees (OSF), Alice in Wonderland (OSF), Richard III (CSF), Riggeletto (CCO), Marie Antoinette (YCP). She is grateful to be able to return to YCP to continue her costuming career and hopes you enjoy the show!

David Tyson '19

Main Electrician
David Tyson is a York College alumnus Lighting Designer, Actor, and Electrician. He graduated from YCP with a BA in Theatre. Previous YCP theater productions include: Mr. Burns (Master Electrician/Board Op), James Franco and Me, An Unauthorized Satire (Kevin), and more. Currently, David works at 4Wall Entertainment as a Purchasing Agent. He also works at Ephrata Performing Arts Center as a Lighting Designer and Electrician. He has designed Seussical Jr., Little Mermaid Jr., and Finding Nemo Jr. He would like to thank his family, friends, and girlfriend for their never ending support and love.

TeAsia Lewis '22

Hair/Makeup Artisan
TeAsia Lewis is a York College Alumni, Theatre minor, who now owns a Salon Suite in West York, specializing in hair care services. TeAsia has worked on the following YCP productions: On The Verge (Hair and Makeup director), Macbeth (Lady MacDuff, Hair and makeup director), The Moors (Hair and Makeup director). She would like to thank Suzanne Delle for her continuous support to students even after they graduate

 

Join us for YCP Theatre's  upcoming performance of A Christmas Carol. The college's holiday show, adapted by Suzanne Delle and directed by Jenny Donovan, will be on Dec. 2 at 10 am.

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