August Wilson Cultural CenterGo the the home page

In 1841 pioneering abolitionist and feminist, Frederick Douglass, delivered his first public address on Nantucket at a meeting of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. He is documented to have spoken in Edgartown in 1857 and in 1876 in Oak Bluffs, at the Tabernacle.

Frederick Douglass NOW is a one man show written by actor, writer, and director, Roger Guenveur Smith. The concept of this play was initiated as a senior honors project in American Studies at Occidental College. At Yale University, Smith, worked as a graduate assistant at the Frederick Douglass Papers. He has since continued to play Douglass to international acclaim, while constructing an unparalleled body of work for the stage and screen.

Mr. Smith adapted his Obie Award-winning A Huey P Newton Story into a Peabody Award-winning telefilm. His Bessie Award-winning Rodney King is currently streaming on Netflix. Both King and Newton were directed by Smith’s long-time friend, Spike Lee. Their many collaborations also include, Do the Right Thing, for which Mr. Smith created the stuttering hero, Smiley. His screen credits include work inspired by Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall, Malcolm X, Michael Manley, Nat Turner, Madam CJ Walker, and Booker T Washington, as well as the series, Queen Sugar, K Street, and Oz.

ROGER GUENVEUR SMITH FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW “Roger Guenveur Smith gets it all. And gets it brilliantly.” —New York Times 
Roger Guenveur Smith returns to the August Wilson Cultural Center with his signature solo performance of FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW. The pioneering abolitionist and feminist illuminates our present moment through Smith’s 21st Century take on Douglass’ crucial 19th Century speeches, letters, and editorials. Last summer, AWAACC presented an acclaimed performance of FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW at the legendary Tabernacle, Martha’s Vineyard, where Douglass himself spoke. The play was initially devised by Smith as an undergraduate, the first in a prolific series of historically-inspired work for the international stage. Smith adapted his Obie Award-winning A HUEY P. NEWTON STORY into a Peabody Awardwinning telefilm, currently streaming on Hulu. His Bessie Award-winning RODNEY KING is on Netflix. Both NEWTON and KING were directed for the screen by Smith’s longtime colleague Spike Lee. For Lee’s classic DO THE RIGHT THING, Roger created the stuttering hero Smiley, one of a gallery of memorable characters in a relationship unique in the American cinema. Roger and Spike were honored at the Cannes Film Festival for their three decades of collaboration. Roger is currently featured as unsung radical Dr. TRM Howard, in Chinonye Chukwu’s TILL, and recently guest starred on the OWN series ALL RISE and QUEEN SUGAR. Onscreen Roger has also played Booker T. Washington, NAACP Secretary Walter White, Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley, California Governor Pio Pico, and Raymond Parks, 
husband and comrade of Rosa Parks. His stage work also includes studies of Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley, artists Jean-Michel Basquiat, Simon Rodia, and Charles White, and baseball greats Juan Marichal and John Roseboro in JUAN AND JOHN, presented at the Wilson Center.  Roger studied at Yale University and Occidental College, and has taught at both institutions as well as Cal Arts, directing his Performing History Workshop.