Steven Anthony Jones hopes to reign supreme in ‘Thurgood’
Steven Anthony Jones hopes to reign supreme in ‘Thurgood’
A celebrated actor best known for his work onstage, especially the years he spent as a member of the core company at American Conservatory Theater, Jones became artistic director of San Francisco’s Lorraine Hansberry Theatre in 2011.
[...] for his theater, Jones is starring in “Thurgood,” a solo play by George Stevens Jr. about Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court.
The play is making its Bay Area debut after its Broadway debut in 2008 starring Laurence Fishburne.
From his home in Pinole, Jones discussed Marshall’s legacy, recent Supreme Court decisions and going solo.
Why, after all this time, are you doing a one-man show?
[...] I’m in a situation with my own theater, and I have become more and more interested in doing work that is connected to social justice.
People need to know about him, especially the younger generation, and that was my motivation.
What has impressed you most in your exploration of Marshall?
In the play, I recount an incident in which he was nearly lynched.
What do you think Marshall would have thought about the Supreme Court’s ruling on the legality of same-sex marriage?
Board of Education in front of the Supreme Court, and I think the recent ruling is absolutely the equivalent of that case.
Board of Education, which said it was wrong for nine men in Washington to tell a man in South Carolina who his daughter had to sit next to in school.
In the play, Marshall also talks about preserving the lives of black people.
How is it being an artistic director?
The thing that can make us unique is dealing with social issues directly or with the people who work on issues of social justice.