The Fairbanks Dramatic Association auditions Martin Luther King Jr. in “Mountaintop.”

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) – The Fairbanks Dramatic Association explores the legends in “Mountaintop,” Katori Hall’s two-person show about the last day of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life.

According to director Diane Bunny Flicks, “We’re talking about Dr. King, not Dr. King the symbol of the Civil Rights Movement.”

In Memphis, at the Lorraine Motel, the show finds King meeting a maid in his room.

In order to bring the play to life, the first-time director Flix separated two groups of actors to portray the characters. “I love working with the cast because they come together as a community to tell this story,” she said.

According to Flicks, the play is unusual for the Fairbanks Dramatic Association, which has an all-black cast. “That’s one of the reasons we’re featuring it this year during Black History Month.”

Each actor performs the show on alternate days. Lakita Deans, one of the actors who portrays the role of Carrie Mae, explained: “I’m meeting new people, but I’m also working with people I’ve worked with before, so it’s it’s so much fun.”

Michael Hurae, who plays Dr. King, described: “The cast of performers who just bring this amazing energy, they’re just endlessly creative and fun and tough and disciplined. Everything I love about what community theater and semi-professional theater can be, these people exemplify.

For actors, being one half of a two-person partnership carries a lot of responsibility. “There’s a lot of dialogue,” Deans said, “so there has to be a lot of energy because there’s only two characters in the play, and we definitely have to work with each other.”

Needless to say, the responsibility of portraying such a well-known and beloved personality. “I found myself looking at his old footage,” Hura said, adding that the role “involved the challenge of trying to find the nuances of a man who was a very sweet, but very powerful, tough political leader.”

The show, which opened on February 3, runs for two more weekends. More information can be found Here.

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