20th Century Civil Rights Icon to Take the Stage in THURGOOD at The Human Race Theatre Company

This spring, The Human Race Theatre Company (HRTC) celebrates one of the 20th century's best-known jurists and civil rights icons when it presents George Stevens, Jr.'s Thurgood as the first full-length theatrical production in the 54-seat performance space at its Caryl D. Philips Creativity Center.

Based on the life and career of the Supreme Court's first African-American Justice, this powerful one-man play follows Thurgood Marshall's rise from his childhood in back-alley Baltimore, to Howard University law school, to his victorious challenges of segregation in the South, all the way to a seat on the highest court in the land in 1967. Humorous and inspiring milestones of Marshall's journey reveal the remarkable brilliance, perseverance and hope of one of the greatest American heroes of all time. Human Race Resident Artist Scott Stoney directs fellow Resident Artist Alan Bomar Jones as the title character. The preview performance of Thurgood is Thursday, April 27. Opening night is Friday, April 28.

Thurgood is the first play by television and film writer George Stevens, Jr., whose interest in Justice Marshall began with Separate But Equal, a miniseries he wrote and directed about the story of the Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation case on which Marshall was the lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Alan Bomar Jones is a professional international actor, lecturer and director who has been performing with The Human Race Theatre Company for twenty years. He is also an Artist-in-Resident with the Ohio Arts Council. He is no stranger to one-man shows. His credits include "Elijah Pierce: Pierce to the Soul," "Nelson Mandela: His Journey" and "Lewis Clarke: My Brother Milton." Alan has appeared in over seventy professional theatrical shows and several independent films. A few of his credits include "Criminal Activities," "Blue Car," "The Movement" and "Missed It." When not acting and directing, Alan travels to colleges and universities offering Performing Arts Workshops. He currently has an independent business entitled Yes, I Remember That Too, recording family memories by way of one-on-one storytelling interviews. In conjunction with The Arts Partnership of Greater Hancock County, they have produced over a dozen storytelling segments for families which has involved over several hundred family members.

Preston D. McCarthy (HRTC's Sweeney Todd, The Full Monty, Mame and Play It by Heart) is the stage manager.

The Human Race Theatre Company's production of Thurgood is sponsored by Oral Funk Poetry Productions, Moore Family Fund, Dave and Dulie Greer, Merle Wilberding and Susan Elliott, and Dave and Terry Williamson.

Tickets for all performances of Thurgood are $25 and seating is general admission.All performances are in The Human Race's Caryl D. Philips Creativity Center, located at 116 North Jefferson Street, 2nd floor, in downtown Dayton, Ohio. Show times for Thurgood are 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoons. Tickets and performance information for Thurgood are available at www.humanracetheatre.org or by calling Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630, and at the Schuster Center box office.

Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, The Human Race Theatre Company was founded in 1986 and moved into the Metropolitan Arts Center in 1991, taking up residence at the 212-seat Loft Theatre. In addition to the Eichelberger Loft Season, The Human Race produces new works development and special event programming. Under the direction of President and Artistic Director Kevin Moore, the company also maintains education and outreach programs for children, teens and adults, as well as artist residencies in area schools, an In-School Tour, and a summer youth program. Human Race organizational support is provided by Culture Works, the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, the Shubert Foundation, the Erma R. Catterton Trust Fund, the Jesse & Caryl Philips Foundation, the Virginia W. Kettering Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council, which helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The 2016-2017 Sustainability Sponsors are the ELM Foundation, Anne F. Johnson, Steve and Lou Mason, and Morris Home. The 2016-2017 Loft season sponsor is the Jack W. and Sally D. Eichelberger Foundation of the Dayton Foundation, with additional support from Premier Health.

Pictured: Alan Bomar Jones as Thurgood Marshall

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