Arden Theatre Company To Present Katori Hall’s THE MOUNTAINTOP This Fall

Arden Theatre Company will open THE MOUNTAINTOP as the second production of its 2025–26 season, with performances beginning October 30 and continuing through December 14 on the Arcadia Stage.

Written by Katori Hall and directed by Brett Ashley Robinson, the 90-minute play will offer a fictional, intimate look at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final night at the Lorraine Motel. The production will star Akeem Davis as Dr. King and Kishia Nixon as Camae.

Set on April 3, 1968, THE MOUNTAINTOP follows Dr. King as he returns to his motel room after delivering the “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. What begins as a solitary evening soon shifts when he meets Camae, a mysterious maid whose conversations with him illuminate fears, doubts, humor, and the burden of legacy. The play blends historical context with elements of magical realism to explore the humanity behind one of the most defining public figures of the twentieth century.

Davis, familiar to Arden audiences for roles in King Hedley II, Intimate Apparel, The Lehman Trilogy, Gem of the Ocean, A Streetcar Named Desire, and A Doll’s House, will return to the company after extensive regional work across Philadelphia and beyond. Nixon, previously seen at the Arden in Holy Grail of Memphis, The BFG, and Clyde’s, brings additional regional credits from Theatre Exile, Delaware Theatre Company, Act II Playhouse, and Lantern Theater Company.

The creative team for THE MOUNTAINTOP will include director Brett Ashley Robinson, assistant director Gabe Moses, scenic designer Reiko Huffman, lighting designer J. Dominic Chacon, Costume Designer Asaki Kuruma, sound designer Elizabeth Atkinson, projection designer Jorge Cousineau, and stage manager Matthew Ryan Melchior.

Previews will begin October 30, with opening night on November 5. Single tickets will start at $37 and will be available online, by phone, or at the Arden box office.

Ticketing & Accessibility