Knight is an associate professor of acting and directing at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He directed and acted in other productions, including Othello, Julius Caesar and Much Ado About Nothing. He also appeared in television series The Orville and Chicago Med, and in the films Widows, The World Without You and Sister Carrie.

Knight spoke with UDaily about what the play means to him, his experience coming back to direct with his former theater company and what he hopes audiences will take away from the show.

Q: What sparked your interest in the arts?

Knight: My interest in the arts started with my mother. She was a singer and a model. She really inspired an interest in reading, literature and storytelling. I have my mom to blame for my entire career.

Q: What does the story of Fences mean to you and what do you hope audiences will take away from seeing it?

Knight: It really is a story about the generational struggle families go through. The idea of the pain that parents went through that they're trying to avoid for their for their own child. I think Fences mirrors that in some ways. Parents are trying to protect their kids from all the things they went through. You look at the cycle of generational pain and despair. Also, generational joy and love that gets passed down. All those ideas can be at odds. Each generation has an expectation of how the world should go, but the previous generation has a realistic understanding of how the world has been. Fences, masterfully captures that generational link and particularly it does it from the lens of an African American family in Pittsburgh in the 1950s. For so long we leaned on Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams for stories about families, family divide, family struggles and family uplifting, but so many people didn't see themselves represented in those stories. A writer like August Wilson captures everyone's experience. As for the audience, I hope they say the things that they feel and mean to their family. That they don’t get bogged down in the singular focus of protecting or taking care of family that they forget about loving them.

Q: You’ve previously performed in productions of Fences. What role did you play and can you reflect on that experience?

Knight: The last production I performed in was as Cory for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It was a  great experience, fresh out of grad school, to work on an August Wilson play, particularly Fences. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, to me, is one of the great meccas of the American stage in this country. It was amazing. It was really a dream come true.

Q: What has it been like to transition back to REP and work with the company now as a director?

Knight: It was a little surreal. I left the REP in 2011, so to be back in a building where I went to school and where I was a REP member was interesting. In those few years even the campus has changed so much. I think everyone experiences that when they return home, but it was really great to be out in the world working, teaching and directing and then to come back to a place that knows me. It was a wonderful experience to see old friends and teachers, now colleagues, and to create something together.

Q: Can you talk about why Fences was chosen and share some of the details of that decision making process when you are preparing for to a play?

Knight: I was initially the assistant director of Fences under a mentor of mine, Walter Dallas, who's one of the cornerstones of American Theatre and certainly of African American theater. He got ill, so I took over as director. So a lot of the decision making I wasn't I wasn't privy to, but I can talk a little bit about how these decisions are made. I know Hassan El-Amin, the actor who plays Troy, is with REP so It was very important to him to include these stories in the series of plays that the rep does. We're so close to Philly and Baltimore and Wilmington, but our stories aren’t being told. We have this great resident company, but for a long time the concern was, ‘How do you tell these stories when the majority REP is not diverse?’ So we tried a new way, and have only one member of REP in the production while everyone else is a hired guest. Part of the REP’s commitment is to do strong language plays, classic plays and Fences is one of those great, amazing American classic stories. I'm really honored to get to tell this story.

Q: Do you have a favorite scene or moment in the play and why does it stand out to you?

Knight: Near the end of the first act all the men — Troy, Bono and Lyons — are outside talking about their fathers and the experience of their fathers. That's always been a very poignant moment. So often we don't get to sit back and reflect with open eyes on the journey of our ancestors. It’s a conversation I wish I'd gotten to have my grandfather. Also, it's not a particular scene, but just the presence of Rose throughout the play is so poignant because she's the only woman in the show. So much of the play is revolving around her even though she doesn't speak the most.

Q: During the talk back portion with the cast, an audience member asked what is the function of Gabe’s character in the play. What are your thoughts on Gabe’s purpose?

Knight: In Wilson’s entire canon of plays, themes of spirituality, ancestry and religion are very important. I think in some ways, Gabriel is representative of that kind of spiritual world. If Gabriel had not been injured in the war, he probably would have lived the life very similar to his brother Troy. Sometimes, it's the removal of what we rely on to make space for us to become who we really are.

Q: What advice do you have for students who are studying theatre and would like to work in the arts?

Knight: See as much theatre as you can. Make as much theatre as you can. Don't wait for a job to come to start making art. The industry responds to self-generative artists. The days of just waiting for the phone to ring and someone to say, “Hey, I've got an audition for you,” are long gone. Network, get out there and see and meet people. Put your stamp on the industry, by telling your story. So often everyone's talking about the lack of representation and identity as if they have to wait for someone to do it for them. You have an identity. Go tell us the story that you don't see happening.

Q: First created in 1985, Fences continues to stand the test of time. Why do you think that is?

Knight: It resonates on such a deep level. It hits on those familial relationships that we all struggle with. Everyone's got a story about someone in their family that doesn't quite understand. Everyone's got a story about dreams deferred. I think that's very universal. I teach Shakespeare and ask the same question about his work, and what makes works stand out are the themes. Also to be quite frank, August Wilson is just a damn good writer.  

Q: What are some other plays you love? What are some classics you think everyone should see?

Knight: People should read Alice Childress and James Baldwin, two amazing writers. Everyone should see Cyrano de Bergerac — it’s just a gorgeous play. I haven't been yet, but if you can, go to Germany to experience the theater there. Tanya Saracho and Isaac Gomez are two amazing writers in the Chicago area. There’s also Ike Holter. I can run an entire list of people you should read. There's just so many great writers right now that are emboldened and empowered to tell stories on their terms. It's not the first time, but it hasn’t happened in a long time. If there's an area of interest a consumer has, there is a playwright writing about that now. There’s so many, but I think it’s important to go back and read some classics, but also go forward and read and see what is happening today.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.