Character Descriptions and Casting
Cast your friends. Cast local celebrities or political figures. When casting, try to match readers to the roles they fit best. However, if the fit isn't happening, don't let that stop you! For example, in an all-female book club, a woman can certainly play Thurgood Marshall. In a middle school reading, Charles Houston can be thirteen.
Characters
You'll need to cast 8 or more people. Two main characters run throughout the play. The other parts, many of which only have 2 or 3 lines, can be distributed among 5 or more other actors. Plus, you will need one more person to read stage directions.
Note: This list may look long but don't worry! You really can do this play reading with AS FEW AS 8 PEOPLE! We'll help you figure out how to distribute roles -- see Casting Plans below.
* Indicates actual names of people involved at the time.
The Biggest Roles
These legal strategists are present throughout the play:
- * Charles Houston: African-American male, 50s. Law professor. Dean of the Howard University Law School (a historically black university). Mentor to Thurgood Marshall. Moses of the Civil Rights Movement. Known to his students as "Cement Pants" because he was formal, upright and strict. In the play, he appears as a ghost.
- * Thurgood Marshall: African-American male, 40s. Lawyer. Head of the Legal Defense Fund of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Lead lawyer arguing the Brown case before the Supreme Court. He is wisecracking, has a grand sense of humor, is easy-going and smart.
Good-Sized Roles at the Heart of the Play
- * Cissy Suyat: Filipino-Hawaiian female, 20s.
- * Gardner "Bish" Bishop: African-American male, 35. Barber.
- Woody: African-American male, 30. WWII vet, customer at barber shop.
- Eleanor: White female, 16. Student.
- * Barbara Johns: African-American female, 16. Student.
- Mrs. Gates: White female, any age. Secretary.
- * Mrs. Sarah Bulah: African-American female, 40. Mother, egg seller.
- * Rev. Kilson: African-American male, 45. Preacher.
- * Rev. J.A. DeLaine: African-American male, 40. Preacher.
- White Man with Gas Can: White male, any age.
- * McKinley Burnett: African-American male, 50. Railroad carpenter.
- * Charles Scott: African-American male, 30. Lawyer.
The Smallest Roles
These characters have 0-5 lines; may be cameo appearances or double-cast.
- Reporter 1: Any ethnicity, sex or age.
- Reporter 2: Any ethnicity, sex or age.
- Reporter 3: White Male Southerner.
- Eleanor's Father: white male, 40. Father.
- Congregation Member 1: African-American, sex or age.
- Congregation Member 2: African-American female, 30. Mother.
- * Lucinda Todd (and other female Topeka plaintiffs): African-American female, any age. Mother.
- * Oliver Brown: African-American male, early 30s. Railroad welder.
- * Matthew Whitehead: African-American male, 30s. Professor.
- * Frederic Wertham: white Jewish male, 50s. Psychologist.
- * Louisa Holt: white female, 30s. Psychologist.
- * Kenneth Clark: African-American male, 40. Sociologist.
- * Silas Fleming: African-American male, 30s. Father.
- * James Nabrit: African-American male, 30s. Lawyer.
- * Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren: White male, 60s. Judge.
- NAACP Staff 1: any ethnicity, sex or age.
- NAACP Staff 2: any ethnicity, sex or age.
- NAACP Staff 3: any ethnicity, sex or age.
- Voice/Voices: unseen; single voice is male; chorus of voices can be mixed.
Casting Plans
Casting Plan #1
Here's an example of how, in a small group reading, one actor can play more than one role. This casting plan uses 8 actors:
- Actor 1: Charles Houston
- Actor 2: Thurgood Marshall
- Actor 3: Stage Directions
- Actor 4: Reporter 1, Gardner Bishop, Rev. Kilson, Congregation Member 1, McKinley Burnett, Matthew Whitehead, Silas Fleming, and NAACP Staff 1
- Actor 5: Woody, Rev. DeLaine, Charles Scott, Oliver Brown, Kenneth Clark, James Nabrit, and NAACP Staff 2
- Actor 6: Cissy Suyat, Eleanor, Mrs. Gates, and Louisa Holt, Voices
- Actor 7: Reporter 3, Eleanor's Father, Voice, White Man with Gas Can, Voices, Frederic Wertham, and Supreme Court Justice Warren
- Actor 8: Reporter 2, Barbara Johns, Mrs. Sarah Bulah, Congregation Member 2, Lucinda Todd, and NAACP Staff 3
Casting Plan #2
Here is a casting plan using 12 actors:
- Actor 1: Charles Houston
- Actor 2: Thurgood Marshall
- Actor 3: Stage Directions
- Actor 4: Gardner Bishop, Rev. Kilson, McKinley Burnett, Matthew Whitehead, and James Nabrit
- Actor 5: Woody, Rev. DeLaine, Charles Scott, Oliver Brown, Kenneth Clark, and NAACP Staff 2
- Actor 6: Cissy Suyat and Eleanor
- Actor 7: Reporter 3, White Man with Gas Can, Voice, and Frederic Wertham
- Actor 8: Reporter 2, Barbara Johns, and NAACP Staff 3
- Actor 9: Mrs. Sarah Bulah, Congregation Member 2, and Lucinda Todd
- Actor 10: Mrs. Gates and Louisa Holt
- Actor 11: Reporter 1, Congregation Member 1, Silas Fleming, and NAACP Staff 1
- Actor 12: Eleanor's Father, Voices, and Supreme Court Justice Warren
Casting Plan #3
Cast one person per role! (That's 22 people!)
Of course, these casting plans are just suggestions. You are free to combine roles differently. Get creative with your casting.