(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage is celebrating its 30th Anniversary season, marking decades of bringing contemporary theatre to audiences in the state of New Jersey. On Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 4:30pm, Vivid will co-sponsor a reading of Katori Hall's play The Mountaintop with Interweave and Saint John's Lutheran Church of Summit in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. The reading will take place at Saint John's (587 Springfield Avenue) in Summit. No tickets are necessary; all are welcome.

A gripping reimagination of events the night before the assassination of the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On April 3, 1968, after delivering one of his most memorable speeches, an exhausted Dr. King retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel while a storm rages outside. When a mysterious stranger arrives with some surprising news, King is forced to confront his destiny and his legacy to his people. Katori Hall is a Pulitzer Prize and Olivier Award-winning playwright. The play will be performed by Nicole Callender and Jamil A.C. Mangan and directed by Daria M. Sullivan.

There will be refreshments and a discussion after the performance. They invite attendees to make a good will offering to benefit The Summit Interfaith Council Anti-Racism Committee. ARC works to dismantle racism by bringing people together to learn, engage, and transform. Saint John’s Lutheran Church is wheelchair accessible.

Vivid Stage was founded in 1994 as Dreamcatcher Rep, and is a non-profit professional ensemble of actors who build community with the audience by sharing contemporary, life-affirming stories that challenge, energize and entertain. Their work has at its heart a belief in the essential goodness of people and the power of live performance to connect people through our shared humanity. They expose theatregoers to ideas and lives like and unlike their own with the intention of awakening their imaginations and creating empathy for others. They deepen the experience of all their patrons with personal contact through receptions, talkbacks, and interactive programs.

The company’s activities include mainstage productions, improvisational comedy and cabarets, new play readings and a variety of educational and senior outreach programs.

Vivid Stage, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey.

Vivid Stage’s programs are funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and many other corporations, foundations and individuals.  Vivid Stage is an Equity Producing member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

Graphic by Laura Ekstrand