By Gina Malone
The North Carolina Stage Company will present the one-man show Thurgood April 26 through May 19. The bio drama, written by George Stevens, Jr., premiered in 2006, and depicts the life of the late Thurgood Marshall, a prominent civil rights lawyer and the country’s first Black United States Supreme Court Justice, who served during the Court’s ruling on Brown v. Board of Education. This year marks the 70th anniversary of that landmark case.
Philip Kershaw. Photo by Tasha Gorel
While cast information was not available at press time, the show’s director, Philip Kershaw, is a familiar face at NC Stage. “This will be my fourth show at NC Stage, but my first show there as a director,” Kershaw says. Past performances in the last two years include Be Here Now, A Case for the Existence of God and Witch.
“There’s a lot everyone can learn from hearing Justice Marshall’s story,” Kershaw says. “His wisdom echoes forward as sage guidance as we deal with the trials and tribulations of today.” Despite the serious issues of the times in which Marshall served, however, Kershaw says that Thurgood offers audiences some laughs. “As a history enthusiast myself, I am more than overjoyed about how much I have already learned in this process, but I love the sense of humor the most,” he says. “The history books we read in school can tend to flatten and simplify who some of these folks were in real life. I think our audience will have a great time getting to know Thurgood the person. His improbable journey is a parable of diligence, perseverance and faith. He believed this country could live up to its promise and made it part of his life’s work to encourage others to do the same.”
Kershaw performed in theater throughout his childhood, but says that he didn’t consider it a serious undertaking until he was an undergraduate at the University of Maryland, College Park. “The performing arts were always something I thoroughly enjoyed, but I was blessed to have some amazing teachers who taught me the difference between having a hobby and honing a craft,” he says.
He went on to earn an MFA in Acting at the University of Houston. “Performing has always been the most consistent part of my theatrical life,” he says, “but I have been fortunate enough to study, and then professionally pursue, directing simultaneously. It’s made me a better artist, holistically, as it widened my aperture to understand more about the art form.”
Kershaw looks forward to sharing details about the production soon. “I can say it will be a mix of new and familiar collaborators for NC Stage Company,” he says, “and I’m incredibly excited to be in the room with all of them. We already have some amazing ideas in the works to make this a theatrical event you won’t want to miss!”
NC Stage is located at 15 Stage Lane in downtown Asheville. To purchase tickets and find out about other upcoming shows, visit NCStage.org.
