Department of Theatre, African and African American Studies Partner to Expand Awareness

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Clinnesha Sibley and Calvin White Jr.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Department of Theatre and the African and African American Studies Program have partnered to present The Mountaintop by Katori Hall. The play imagines what may have happened on the night before Martin Luther King’s assassination at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Clinnesha Sibley, assistant professor of theatre in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, is directing the production.

"What I most like most about the play is how the playwright gets us to reflect on this idea of 'the baton' and what it means to pass it on. What did Dr. King actually see when he went to the proverbial mountaintop?” said Sibley, who serves as an affiliated faculty member with the African and African American Studies Program and wrote the anthology King Me: Three One-­-Act Plays Inspired By the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “One might see the play and be reminded of his sermon 'A Knock at Midnight.' The playwright has a bold imagination when it comes to Dr. King, and I appreciate her creative freedom. Students should definitely see this show because they, essentially, are the ones who will continue the ongoing fight for human rights."   

African and African American Studies, also known as AAST, is an interdisciplinary program that has been at the University of Arkansas since 1961. It expands on the core disciplines of a traditional liberal arts education and examines the role that race has played in the creation of current society through the study of the history and culture of the African diaspora.

The partnership broadens the diversity among the students and disciplines involved in the project.  Cooperation between a department and an interdiciplinary program integrates both into a piece of work demonstrating how multiple fields can be studied side by side to create a new point of view.

“The partnership allows us to strengthen our multi-cultural theatre initiatives and helps us in diversifying our audience,” Sibley said. “AAST is one of the most progressive programs on campus, and we are thrilled to work together to educate and entertain our community.”

The relationship between theatre and AAST brought people with different experiences together to produce The Mountaintop. The program provides an additional educational aspect to the production through knowledge and experience that bring characters to life and allow the audience to connect with them.   

“Our main goal is to educate, and our partnership better enables us to educate about Africans' and African Americans' experiences in the western hemisphere to a larger, more integrated audience,” said Calvin White, Jr., associate professor of history and director of African and African American Studies.

“Theatre is an extension of any classroom,” Sibley said. “It is creative application. As a Department of Theatre faculty member and an affiliated faculty member of AAST, this collaboration allows me to combine performativity with topics in African-American history, politics and thought. It’s a wonderful teaching opportunity.”  

The African and African American Studies Program has produced a spring play for more than seven years. White wanted to involve more of the university community, and working with the theatre department allows both groups to reach a larger and more diverse audience.

“The Department of Theatre is our biggest supporter,” White said. “We wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. Their partnership enables us to reach beyond our usual audience. People that may have an interest in the theatre but might not be just as passionate about African and African American studies will come see the play. The production brings together different groups and exposes them to more than just theatre – it educates them as well.”

Performances of The Mountaintop are at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30 and 31 and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Feb 1. All performances are in Kimpel Hall 404. Ticket prices are $10 for adults; $8 for seniors, faculty and staff, and $5 for students. Due to high demand and limited seating, it is strongly recommended that patrons make reservations in advance.