Q&A with Director Cameron Knight on The Mountaintop
Cameron Knight returned to the Festival this year to direct Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s final night on earth. He also directed Richard III in 2021 and The Tempest in 2022 here at the Festival. He has worked with the Ensemble Studio Theatre on off-Broadway and numerous other regional theatres as a director, such as American Shakespeare Center, Resident Ensemble Players, and Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival.
Knight also has experience as an actor at The Kennedy Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Rep, among others. His television work includes Blue Bloods, Chicago Med, and The Orville, in addition to film work on Widows, Sister Carrie, The World Without You, and Intrusion.
His teaching credits include Rutgers University, Carnegie Mellon University, DePaul University, and University of North Carolina. He received an MFA at University of Delaware and a BFA at University of Michigan-Flint.
The Festival caught up with Knight to ask about his experience directing The Mountaintop.
The Festival: What kind of personal connection do you feel to the play or characters and why were you excited to direct this play?
Knight: I know this play very well, I’ve seen productions of it and I’ve worked on it as an actor and coach, and it’s beautiful telling the story of [an African American hero], so I feel a connection to it because of that.
I love how bold the play is, and how bold Katori Hall was willing to be to tell some truths about Dr. King and race and race relations in this country, which are oftentimes glamorized, and this play [removes] that veil.
Because it’s such a small play in terms of cast, we can really tear it apart and put it back together in some fun ways that you can’t do with larger plays.
I was also drawn to direct this play because of the impact a story like this can have. Going into a political election year, that really stood out to me and the idea of hero worship and not making space for people’s health and mental health.
The Festival: Speaking of that, you noted that you planned on approaching mental health in this play through a more modern lens. Can you talk about this?
Knight: The advantage we have today is that we have so much more language and understanding about mental health than we did during King’s time. We are in a place now of hero worship, where we make a person bigger than they ever were, and we often lose sight of the human aspect of a person, like what they must have been going through. A lot of my family is in the military, and the term they used was “shell-shocked,” but now we know there’s a term called PTSD, and that distinction can be very helpful to the individual and the community.
It’s important to not necessarily diagnose, but look back and say, “What impacts might these very real things that we didn’t talk about because of pride, or culture… have had.” That can really open up the play for the audience today.
The Festival: For those that aren’t familiar with this play, why is it important and why should patrons come see it?
Knight: It puts a human touch and human connection on the legend that is Martin Luther King Jr. and brings him back down to the people. There’s also a strong religious element, and this very real thing of when we lose someone, a hope that they’re not alone.
I think the further we get from the events of loss of a human being––certainly someone as iconic as Martin Luther King Jr.––they start to transform in our memories. With Dr. King, we’ve tried to make him larger than life, and some people have tried to tear him down, but I do think bringing a human element to him, which Katori Hall has done so beautifully in this play, is something that people will be intrigued by.
It’s surprisingly funny. It’s a heartfelt play, but it’s very funny. I promise you’ll enjoy it.
The Festival: What challenges came with preparing to direct this play?
Knight: The big thing I’m aware of while working on this play is balancing people’s image in their mind of Dr. King and the reality of the King that’s written in the script. You have a real person on the stage, and people have their image of King…there will be audience members that were alive during King’s time and “know” King…and so I want to be sensitive to their memory and experience but also move the conversation forward. Striking the balance of that will be a delicate thing.
The Festival: As playgoers, what should we watch for in this play that would help us enjoy/understand it better? Are there any special “Easter eggs” you have implemented into the play as a director?
Knight: We [did] a lot with projections in this play to really bring the story to the forefront. I love those psychological thriller/horror elements, so there will be things like that that have been included in my previous work.
The Festival: What statement/realization/feeling do you hope audience members leave with after seeing the play?
Knight: I hope people are motivated to vote, and to go out and impact their communities and listen to each other. I hope they’re inspired to check in on their quiet friends, you know the ones that are always “doing well,” and to have more space for each other.
The Festival: How long have you been directing plays? How long have you been with the Festival? What draws you to be a director?
Knight: I’ve been directing for 12 years, I still act a little bit but mostly direct. This is my third season with the Festival, having directed Richard III and The Tempest. What I love about directing is being able to bring people together and tell stories that people are concerned or afraid to tell…there’ve been so many conversations about inclusion over the years, but people weren’t doing that work.
I find that I can empower artists from the seat of the director better than I can as an actor and take bold stabs at stories to impact audiences in the time that we are in.
To purchase tickets to The Mountaintop, visit bard.org or call 800-PLAYTIX. The play runs through October 5.
