Thurgood Marshall Stage Play

Drama Desk, Emmy, and Tony awards’ winner and Oscar nominee, Laurence Fishburne plays civil rights victor Thurgood Marshall, Sr. in a one-man Broadway play entitled Thurgood. Opening on April 30, 2008 at the Booth Theater in New York City, Fishburne portrays the late Marshall’s life from his job as a waiter at a country club to his position as an Associate Justice on the High Court. Marshall is remembered as the first African American Supreme Court Justice. Broadway.com describes Thurgood as: “a triumph of courage—not just for the man, but for the nation he bravely challenged and proudly served.”

Thurgood Marshall College Fund Honors Actor Laurence Fishburne, Award Of Excellence
Actor awarded for portrayal of late Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall

New York, NY – May 1, 2008 – Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) president and CEO, Dwayne Ashley honored actor Laurence Fishburne with an Award of Excellence for his portrayal in “Thurgood” a one-man play, which opened last night, Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at the Booth Theater in New York City. The play is based on the life and times of the late Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to sit on the United States Supreme Court and NAACP’s lead counsel in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.

Fishburne, the recipient of Drama Desk, Tony and Emmy awards as well as a nomination for an Academy Award, has an acting career that spans more than 35 years. In this moving role, Fishburne narrates the life of Thurgood Marshall from his days waiting tables at a country club to his tenure as a United States Supreme Court Justice.

Ashley noted to Fishburne during the recognition, “Just as Thurgood Marshall exemplified in his works and deeds on behalf of our nation, I present this bust in his image to you for the body of work you have done in your career. The excellence you have exemplified in your craft culminating with your brilliant portrayal of Justice Marshall this evening is the best of the best.”

“It is only fitting that the Thurgood Marshall College Fund recognize Laurence Fishburne for his moving portrayal of this organization’s namesake,” said Ashley. “We applaud Mr. Fishburne for his contribution to entertainment and expanding Thurgood Marshall’s legacy through this production.”