Top Picks
Guides
What’s on
Where to go
See all

The Mountaintop with the Royal Exchange

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
Theatre in Manchester
Image courtesy of Helen Murray.

10 — 22 June 2020 Entrance is free — Visit now

Katori Hall’s Olivier Award-winner The Mountaintop, set on the eve of  Dr Martin Luther King’s assassination, will be streamed online via the Royal Exchange’s YouTube channel.

In 2016, Roy Alexander Weise, now Joint Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange, directed this powerful play at the Young Vic. Now in June 2020, this incisive two-hander will see performers, Gbolahan Obisesan and Ronke Adékoluejo reunited once again.

Set during the height of America’s Civil Rights Movement, Obisesan takes the role of Dr Martin Luther King and Adékoluejo plays a maid that he talks to, the night before his assassination in 1968 in Memphis. The pain and rage felt, and the scale of the resultant protests continues right now – right across the world – following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Weise said, “ We are on the cusp of something that could change the story of humanity and the quality of life for every human being to walk the earth from this point forward. We all have a part to play. As we think on the life of Dr King, may we also think of the lives lost and those sacrificing theirs right now for the lives of all our children and their children yet to come.”

Bringing communities together through incisive storytelling and because Black Lives Matter.

The Mountaintop will be streamed for free on the Royal Exchange’s YouTube channel on 10 June and will be available until 15 June. Donations are invited, to raise funds to support the legal costs incurred by those incarcerated whilst protesting.

The reading will be introduced by Weise and writer, Katori Hall, who won the Olivier Award for best new play in 2010 for The Mountaintop.

10 — 22 June 2020 Entrance is free Visit now

Where to go near The Mountaintop with the Royal Exchange

Originally built as the country retreat for the Vavasour family, Wood Hall still remains a place where today's pressures seem an age away. Set down a long private drive Wood Hall is perched high on the hill set amongst 100 acres, with fine views of the surrounding area.Set apart from the distractions of the office, Wood Hall is the ideal spot for business events, or simply some fresh thinking. The 2 AA Rosette Georgian Restaurant at Wood Hall Hotel creates a special atmosphere in which to enjoy a fine dining experience to mark a special occasion or just for the pleasure of it!Unwind in the spa, tone up in the gym, or step out and make the most of the beautiful Yorkshire surroundings. On sunny days you can dine al fresco with a specailly prepared picnic hamper in the Italian Gardens.
Hotel
Wood Hall Hotel

Originally built as the country retreat for the Vavasour family, Wood Hall is set amongst 100 acres, with fine views of the surrounding area.

Gallery
Leeds
Gallery
BLANK_

BLANK_is a Leeds-based gallery, run by the School of Creative Arts at University Centre Leeds. It encompasses a physical exhibition space and a publication that showcases new contemporary visual art…

Chancellors Hotel is a Grade II listed Victorian mansion located in South Manchester surrounded by five acres of beautiful landscaped gardens, in a relaxed, scenic and picturesque setting.
Manchester
Hotel
Chancellors Hotel

Chancellors Hotel is a Grade II listed Victorian mansion located in South Manchester surrounded by five acres of beautiful landscaped gardens, in a relaxed, scenic and picturesque setting.

Kōdo Entrance
City Centre
Restaurant
Kōdo

Kōdo, a secret bar like no other. It is all about discovery. The only way to enter is with a special code, which changes weekly.

MediaCityUK
Café or Coffee Shop
Blanconero

High-level Italian food in Salford Quays, with no less than seven different lasagnas to choose from.

Yoga classes for all levels and aims.
Leeds
Yoga Hero

Yoga Hero offers various classes, including within their studio and online for all levels and all aims.

See all places

What's on: Theatre

Culture Guides

Good Fridaze Family Social at Freight Island
Family things to do in the North

As we edge towards spring we take a look at the best events and activities for families, from theatre to festivals, dinosaur adventures to family raves.

Poet Evan Jones
Literature Events in the North

Some of our favourite leftfield live literature regulars are back with their first events of the year – we’ve picked a weird and wonderful heap we think you’ll love.

NEXT: A Primer on Urban Painting production still
Cinema in the North

Street art, LGBTQ+ History Month, and the first film festivals of the year are amongst our cinema highlights this month.

A painting of a young child being bathed in a sink of a 197s style kitchen. Around the sink are a rubber duck, a bottle of washing up liquid, a jug, a kettle and a mug.
Exhibitions in the North

Galleries are racing to announce new exhibitions so check out our top picks, from art films and nostalgic paintings to Hockney's collages.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Feminist farce, a magical circus show and Oldham Coliseum return with a brand-new off-site show. All in our latest theatre guide.

FKA TWIGS
Music in the North

Masters of minimalism, leftfield electronica and cutting edge pop. We bring you the lot in our latest live music round up.

See all guides