About

Set on the eve of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, The Mountaintop by Katori Hall is an intimate, two-person drama that reimagines the final hours of an icon. Performed in the black box Anes Studio Theatre, this production brought the audience into close proximity with history, imagination, and legacy.

Scenic design by Jo Winiarski centered around a single hotel room—Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel—rendered with stark realism and poetic restraint. As Assistant Scenic Designer, I led the 3D modeling and drafting process, developing buildable plates and virtual assets that balanced historical accuracy with theatrical flexibility. The compact space demanded precision, with practical elements like a working sink and real-time storm effects integrated seamlessly into the architecture of the set.

The production starred Abdul-Khaliq Murtadha as Dr. King and Alia Shakira as Camae. Their performances explored the tension between public legacy and private humanity, supported by a design that amplified small gestures and sudden shifts. A thunderstorm outside mirrored the unrest within, while projections and sound design by Joe Payne and Ien Denio expanded the motel room into a time-warped reflection on Black history, activism, and inheritance.

The power of The Mountaintop lies in its intimacy—and this production embraced that fully. With minimal scenery but maximum intent, the design became a vessel for legacy, mortality, and unfinished work. It was an honor to contribute to this bold, emotionally charged production, which asked not how we remember our leaders, but how we continue their fight.