Calendar of Events
Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.
Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.
Bender Gallery Artists Featured in
Asheville Art Museum Exhibition
The New Salon: A Contemporary View
The Asheville Art Museum will be opening their exhibit, The New Salon: A Contemporary View, on March 8 and it will run until August 19, 2024. The New Salon offers a modern take on the prestigious tradition of the Parisian Salon with the diversity and innovation of today’s art world. Guest-curated by Gabriel Shaffer, the show will include works from Pop Surrealism, Outsider Art, Street Art, and Graffiti genres.
Bender Gallery has been collaborating with the Asheville Art Museum to loan four paintings from three of our artists. The artists are Laine Bachman, Kukula, and Yui Sakamoto. Be sure to check out this special exhibition in downtown Asheville.
Learn More
Kukula, Impossible Voyage, oil on board, 48 x 24 inches
Kukula (b. 1980, Israel)
Nataly Abramovitch, better known in the art world as, Kukula, paints imagined worlds filled with elaborately dressed women in fanciful settings. The artist does extensive research on the layouts of paintings from the Renaissance and Rococo periods. Kukula subverts these images by depicting women characters in place of traditionally male positions and settings. Her characters are powerful, commanding, and have an air of indifference.
Available Work
Yui Sakamoto, Self Portrait, oil on canvas, 63 x 63 inches
Yui Sakamoto (b. 1981, Japan)
Our surrealist artist, Yui Sakamoto, will have two paintings featured including My Soul and Self Portrait. Self Portrait is still available from his recent solo exhibition at Bender Gallery. Standing in front of Self Portrait, one is immersed in the dual-worlds of Sakamoto’s Japanese and Mexican cultures. There is a sense of calm reflected in the repeating rose pattern, mixed with the uneasy realization that the coral, fungi, and otherworldly forms are what makeup the figure.
Available Work
Laine Bachman, Night Bloomers, acrylic on canvas, 18 x 24 inches
Laine Bachman (b. 1974, USA) Our prolific Magical Realism artist, Laine Bachman, makes a feature in the exhibition with her painting, Night Bloomers. She has been hard at work making 17 new pieces for her solo exhibition at the Canton Art Museum in Canton, Ohio. The Canton show opens on April 28 and continues through to July 28, 2024.
Available Work
Exhibition and Public Programming
Vera B. Williams, an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books, started making pictures almost as soon as she could walk. She studied at Black Mountain College in a time where summer institutes were held with classes taught by John Cage and Merce Cunningham. Williams studied under the Bauhaus luminary Josef Albers and went on to make art for the rest of her life. At the time of her death, The New York Times wrote: “Her illustrations, known for bold colors and a style reminiscent of folk art, were praised by reviewers for their great tenderness and crackling vitality.” Despite numerous awards and recognition for her children’s books, much of her wider life and work remains unexplored. This retrospective will showcase the complete range of Williams’ life and work. It will highlight her time at Black Mountain College, her political activism, and her establishment, with Paul Williams, of an influential yet little-known artist community, in addition to her work as an author and illustrator.
Author and illustrator of 17 children’s books, including Caldecott medal winner, A Chair for My Mother, Vera B. Williams always had a passion for the arts. Williams grew up in the Bronx, NY, and in 1936, when she was nine years old, one of her paintings, called Yentas, opens a new window, was included in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. While Williams is widely known for her children’s books today, this exhibition’s expansive scope highlights unexplored aspects of her artistic practice and eight decades of life. From groundbreaking, powerful covers for Liberation Magazine, to Peace calendar collaborations with writer activist Grace Paley, to scenic sketches for Julian Beck and Judith Malina’s Living Theater, to hundreds of late life “Aging and Illness” cartoons sketches and doodles, Vera never sat still.
Williams arrived at Black Mountain College in 1945. While there, she embraced all aspects of living, working, and learning in the intensely creative college community. She was at BMC during a particularly fertile period, which allowed her to study with faculty members Buckminster Fuller and Josef Albers, and to participate in the famed summer sessions with John Cage, Merce Cunningham, M.C. Richards, and Robert Rauschenberg. In 1948, she graduated with Josef Albers as her advisor and sculptor Richard Lippold as her outside examiner. Forever one of the College’s shining stars, Vera graduated from BMC with just six semesters of coursework, at only twenty-one years old. She continued to visit BMC for years afterward, staying deeply involved with the artistic community that BMC incubated.
Anticipating the eventual closure of BMC, Williams, alongside her husband Paul Williams and a group of influential former BMC figures, founded The Gate Hill Cooperative Artists community located 30 miles north of NYC on the outskirts of Stony Point, NY. The Gate Hill Cooperative, also known as The Land, became an outcropping of Black Mountain College’s experimental ethos. Students and faculty including John Cage, M.C. Richards, David Tudor, Karen Karnes, David Weinrib, Stan VanDerBeek, and Patsy Lynch Wood shaped Gate Hill as founding members of the community. Vera B. Williams raised her three children at Gate Hill while continuing to make work.
The early Gate Hill era represented an especially creative phase for the BMC group. For Williams, this period saw the creation of 76 covers for Liberation Magazine, a radical, groundbreaking publication. This exhibition will feature some of Williams’ most powerful Liberation covers including a design for the June 1963 edition, which contained the first full publication of MLK’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Williams’ activism work continued throughout her life. As president of PEN’s Children Committee and member of The War Resisters league, she created a wide range of political and educational posters and journal covers. Williams protested the war in Vietnam and nuclear proliferation while supporting women’s causes and racial equality. In 1981, Williams was arrested and spent a month in a federal prison on charges stemming from her political activism.
In her late 40’s, Williams embarked in earnest on her career as a children’s book author and illustrator, a career which garnered the NY Public Library’s recognition of A Chair for My Mother as one of the greatest 100 children’s books of all time. Infinitely curious and always a wanderer at heart, Williams’ personal life was as expansive as her art. In addition to her prolific picture making, Williams started and helped run a Summerhill-based alternative school, canoed the Yukon, and lived alone on a houseboat in Vancouver Harbor. She helped to organize and attended dozens of political demonstrations throughout her adult life.
Her books won many awards including the Caldecott Medal Honor Book for A Chair for My Mother in 1983, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award– Fiction category– for Scooter in 1994, the Jane Addams Honor for Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart in 2002, and the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature in 2009. Her books reflected her values, emphasizing love, compassion, kindness, joy, strength, individuality, and courage.
Images:
Cover of Vera B. Williams’ A Chair for My Mother, published in 1982.
Vera B. Williams, Cover for Liberation Magazine, November 1958.
What are these auditions for?
We’re holding auditions for our Second Annual Appalachian Playwriting Festival! Showing September 20-22, 2024, this festival will feature staged readings of new plays written by Appalachian Playwrights or plays that celebrate Appalachian Culture. One script from this festival will be chosen to be produced in our Mainstage Season!
When and where will these auditions be?
Auditions will take place on April 27th from 12pm-2pm at The Mountain Heritage Center located at 113 Green Mountain Dr, Burnsville, NC 28714 (Across the street from Parkway Playhouse).
What should I prepare for these auditions?
Please come prepared with a resume, headshot, and a one-minute monologue if you have them. You’ll also be asked to read sides. If you’re new to performing and don’t have the above items, no worries! Just come prepared to read sides. Sides are excerpts from the script.
What shows will be in this year’s lineup?
More information about this year’s festival selection, playwrights, directors, and more can be found by clicking the button below!
Visit LEAF Global Arts every Saturday for an in-house cultural exchange with Adama Dembele. Experience the Ivory Coast with our Culture Keeper from the House of Djembe.
You’re in for a treat with our first event of 2024. We are combining live fire cooking with winter squash and Hickory Nut Gap meats (huge thanks to Hickory Nut Gap for sponsoring!). There’ll be plenty of diversity and experimental cooking, but a core focus of this event is to celebrate the amazing Winter Squash. Chef’s will be using our Ultracross Squash, harvested from our field trials last fall and stored all the way through to the event in April. Each guest will also receive a packet of Ultracross Squash seeds, a copy of Winter Squash Crop Stories, and an open invention to be part of our Total Squash Sovereignty project.
Live Fire cooking event with Utopian Seed Project.
The goal of this event is to build bridges and celebrate the common ground we all share in our beautiful county and community.
Live music and poetry performances.
Appearances by state party chair Anderson Clayton and several North Carolina candidates.
Fun for the whole family!
$20 admission.
$10 for students.
Kids 16 and under free.
All funds raised will help get voters to the polls in November 2024!
Students will live a day in the life of our solar system through interactive play and inquiry-based exploration with our inflatable planetarium. They will take ownership over research and practice science communication through group sharing.
Ages 8-15
During his days in middle school, Roger’s favorite pastime is to daydream about life as a pirate. One day during history class, Roger notices outside that his crush, Lila, has gotten caught in a nasty storm that came out of nowhere. Roger’s knowledge of the confidence and bravery it takes to be a pirate leads him to run out and save her. The storm gets the best of him though, and he collapses on the ground. When he wakes up, he finds himself on a beach. Confused as to why he is here, he begins to investigate. He notices he is surrounded by people who an evil ruler seemingly leads.
Interestingly enough, this ruler looks a lot like his middle school principal. Still trying to grasp what is happening around him, he notices Lila has become a princess and has been captured by the evil ruler. He decides to try and rescue her and everyone under his rule. Suddenly, another storm breaks, and Roger finds himself once again back in his classroom. Confused by all that has happened, he wonders if it was all just a dream or if he really was a pirate saving his princess.
Spring Out Event Schedule
1:30pm – 5pm: Pop-Up Bike Park
2:30pm – 3pm: Ride gathers
3pm: Ride departs
4pm – 5pm: Staggered return to Wedge
5pm – 7pm: Continued bicycle frolic
Ride Routes
See and Download all Spring Out 2024 Routes
- Ride More – 15 miles that includes the Cruiser and Main Ride plus a climb up Beaucater and a roll along the old logging road.
- Main Ride – 9 miles that include the Cruiser plus a climb into downtown Asheville and around Pritchard Park before heading back to the River Arts District.
- Cruiser – 4 mile ride featuring the Wilma Dykeman Greenway and highlighting the best in flatness that Asheville has to offer.
Download and enjoy past Spring Out and Bike of the Irish routes. These routes are great ways to enjoy Asheville, NC on a bike.
Support & Sponsor
Are you interested in joining AoB as a sponsor in 2024? If so, lets talk. Fill out the form and we’ll connect with you.
Calling Volunteers
There are many ways to support the Spring Out ride. If you’d like to show your support by volunteering at the event fill out the form. We’d love to have you!
We can’t wait to see you at Spring Out!
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Get your costumes ready:
Spring Out Event Schedule
1:30pm – 5pm: Pop-Up Bike Park
2:30pm – 3pm: Ride gathers
3pm: Ride departs
4pm – 5pm: Staggered return to Wedge
5pm – 7pm: Continued bicycle frolic
Ride Routes
See and Download all Spring Out 2024 Routes
- Ride More – 14 miles that includes the Cruiser and Main Ride plus a climb up Beaucater and a roll along the old logging road.
- Main Ride – 9 miles that include the Cruiser plus a climb into downtown Asheville and around Pritchard Park before heading back to the River Arts District.
- Cruiser – 4 mile ride featuring the Wilma Dykeman Greenway and highlighting the best in flatness that Asheville has to offer.
Download and enjoy past Spring Out and Bike of the Irish routes. These routes are great ways to enjoy Asheville, NC on a bike.
Support & Sponsor
Are you interested in joining AoB as a sponsor in 2024? If so, lets talk. Fill out the form and we’ll connect with you.
Calling Volunteers
There are many ways to support the Spring Out ride. If you’d like to show your support by volunteering at the event fill out the form. We’d love to have you!
We can’t wait to see you at Spring Out!
2024 Gardening Series
Sign up for one or sign up for the whole series!
Classes will occur over four Saturdays, April 13 – May 4, from 2-4 pm. Each class is $25.
April 13 Class – Garden Planning and Prep
We will discuss what goes into garden planning through setting priorities, observation, mapping, budgeting, and succession planting. The class will include tips for choosing what to grow and how much to plant. Learn what is needed to start and care for plants, whether you are growing from seed indoors, purchasing transplants, and/or direct seeding; this will include discussions of useful tools and how to use them. This class will also include some hands-on transplanting. We will also review some great perennial edibles and how to care for them year-round.
April 20 Class – Soil Management and Care
In this class, we will dive into soil management. We will talk about the principles of healthy soil and how to amend your soil naturally and affordably, including discussions on composting, compost tea, and vermicompost. We will experience different strategies to build a raised bed, clear space for a new one, or revive an old garden bed. Get ready to get your hands in the dirt!
April 27 Class – From Lawn to Garden: Making the Most of Your Space
We will meet at Laura Ruby’s West Asheville garden for our third class together. Delve into the wide world of garden pro tips, tricks, tools, and secrets! This class will cover ideas and options for making your garden more manageable, fun, and productive through systems thinking. See established gardens and ways to adapt to your needs and growing space. You will also see how fruit production can be integrated with growing flowers and veggies.
May 4 Class – Summer Garden Management and Preservation
We will reconvene at Peace Gardens & Market for our final workshop, discussing succession planting, summer weed and pest management, and preserving the harvest (what to do with all those tomatoes and more!). We will share tips for keeping your body and energy up throughout the season to sustain you through the joy of harvests and eating your home-grown produce.
Other topics to be covered, time permitting:
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DIY structures, e.g., trellis, rainwater collection, bed building
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Early spring weeds, what’s edible, early tips for managing weeds
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Common garden pests & how to deter them
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Reading a soil test
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Cover cropping and NPK
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Common problems in the garden
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Maximizing your space
Join this meeting of the African American Caucus, dedicated to engaging Black People and making them aware of Black culture involving politics and community.
Please come with suggestions and solutions for a better community, but it starts with you.
Who should attend: African Americans who believe in Democracy.
International Recording Artist, Grammy Member, and American Idol Golden Ticket Winner, Blake Ellege is a generational talent whose unparalleled vocals have transported and enthralled audiences around the world. Join Blake and his showband: “Saddletramp” on a journey through Country Music’s Greatest Hits. Come see for yourself why Blake has been named one of the most prominent and charismatic entertainers on this side of the Mississippi.
Buncombe County Public Library started our inaugural countywide book club called One Book, One Buncombe this spring. The vision for this communal effort is to have as many people as possible read, discuss, meditate, and ultimately have the shared experience of collectively reading the same book this spring.
Our first One Book, One Buncombe selection has been The Violin Conspiracy by North Carolina-based author Brendan Slocumb. Hundreds of people all across the county have been reading this thought provoking novel in March and April, and a wide selection of programs have been well attended.
One Book, One Buncombe 2024 will culminate with a free community event featuring author Brendan Slocumb on Saturday, April 27 at 2 p.m. This event will take place at Ferguson Auditorium at AB Tech. 19 Tech Drive, Asheville, 28801. Admission is free and everyone is welcome! No advance registration is required to attend this program.
Slocumb will speak about the book and sign books after the formal program. Books will also be available for purchase at this event.
If you can’t make it, the event will be streamed on the County’s Facebook page.
Learn more about Brendan Slocumb and The Violin Conspiracy on his author page here.
You can find this book, and lots of other great books, at your local library.
We’ll be live-streaming the Author Talk with Violin Conspiracy author Brendan Slocumb in the Community Room!
Light refreshments will be served.
This high-flying musical has been thrilling audiences of all ages for close to 70 years and is now being brought back to life in a new adaptation by celebrated playwright Larissa FastHorse, directed by Emmy Award-winner Lonny Price and choreography by Lorin Latarro. The adventure begins when PETER PAN and his mischievous fairy sidekick, Tinker Bell, visit the bedroom of the Darling children late one night. With a sprinkle of pixie dust and a few happy thoughts, the children are taken on a magical journey they will never forget. This extraordinary musical full of excitement and adventure features iconic and timeless songs including “I’m Flying”, “I Gotta Crow”, “I Won’t Grow Up” and “Neverland”. PETER PANembraces the child in us all so go on a journey from the second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning – your entire family will be Hooked!
Peter Pan‘s run time is 2 hours including intermission.
Follow the Terriers on Twitter at @WoffordBaseball
Immerse yourself in the extraordinary world of Matilda: The Musical, a delightfully imaginative adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book. This Tony Award-winning musical weaves the story of Matilda, a young girl with a sharp wit, unbounded imagination, and psychokinetic powers. Despite the indifference of her shallow parents and the tyranny of the oppressive headmistress Miss Trunchbull, Matilda discovers the strength within herself to change her story. Infused with dark humor, whimsical storytelling, and dazzling performances, Matilda: The Musical is a testament to the power of imagination, resilience, and the transformative magic of learning. A must-see for audiences of all ages who love heartwarming tales of triumph against all odds.
A talkback with the cast & crew of Matilda: The Musical will be held following the performances on April 14th and 21st.
When Nick announces he is being promoted and moving to Seattle, his grandparents are devastated and quickly concoct a series of hilarious schemes to keep Nick from leaving, including introducing him to the woman of his dreams.
Join the Blue Ridge Orchestra for a musical celebration of spring in two 3:00 pm concerts: on Saturday, April 27th in Lipinsky Auditorium, UNC Asheville; and on Sunday, April 28th in the Diana Wortham Theatre. Spring Fourth features works by Schumann, Dvorak, and Beethoven, three of the world’s greatest classical composers, chosen by BRO Music Director Milton Crotts to commemorate the season.
The program begins with the first and fourth movements of Robert Schumann’s majestic Symphony No. 1 – “Spring” – written in 1841, and reflective of the composer’s joyful optimism at that time of his life. Asheville’s own Franklin Keel will perform the first movement, Allegro, from Anton Dvorak’s beloved Cello Concerto in B Minor, known for the lyrical solo part and the richness of the orchestral accompaniment. The program closes with Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Fourth” – his irresistible Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major – a lively, cheerful contrast to many of his better-known works.
The Blue Ridge Orchestra has been making fine music accessible to audiences across WNC for upwards of two decades. Comprised of over fifty talented local musicians who volunteer their time to practice, rehearse, and perform, the BRO has presented concerts not only in Asheville, but in Canton, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, and Clyde. Under the leadership of Milton Crotts, the orchestra has become known for its imaginative, inventive, and invigorating performances.
Spring is here at long last! Chances are your home could seriously benefit from a proper spring cleaning.
Such a thorough cleaning needn’t be onerous, though! Nor should it be costly, nor, perhaps most importantly, should home cleaning be laden with ingredients potentially injurious to you, your family, or the animal friends with whom you share your abode.
Join author and teacher Ashley English April 27th at 3 pm as she shows how to craft 10 all-natural DIY items for sprucing up your space
KETURAH ALLGOOD
Named as one of the “Fifteen Best New Artists Of 2023” American Songwriter. The Soulful Americana Troubadour, Keturah Allgood is currently booking
shows for 2024. Her latest album “Shine” was released this past August to the delight of her fans who have been waiting several years for a new record and the press who had this to say:
“Keturah Allgood’s album Shine is a horse pill of optimism against chaos and despair.” Rachel Cholst – Rainbow Rodeo
“Allgood’s voice is honeyed, allowing her to dig in her teeth and deliver rich emotion. She bares her heart and soul, even if her scars still throb sore and red.” Bee Deloras – B-sides and Badlands
“Thank God” we have artists like Keturah with the boldness to open our senses eyes to our deeper, higher natures so that we may, as she sings in another emotional centerpiece, the acoustic blues-driven anthem “Love, “Baby, it’s love that can show us a better way. . .Let it burn through the night/Lead us to a brighter day.” Jonathan Widran – The JW Vibe
Keturah and her band have played many shows and festivals throughout the 20 plus years that she has been performing, including, The Grey Eagle, The Bluebird, 3rd & Lindsley, The Orange Peel, Sisters On Stage Festival, The Handlebar, Green River Festival, Apple Valley Festival and Preservation Pub to name a few.
Born and raised in the mountains of Western North Carolina, Keturah Allgood is a soulful Americana, queer artist who draws on her myriad of life experiences for inspiration. While traversing the dusty back roads and often forgotten places, she gently taps into the heart and soul of our shared existence, believing that music has the power to bring us together, reminding us that love, kindness and compassion always shine through the darkness of these often-trying times.
“I love to express the importance of kindness and compassion,” the Brevard, North Carolina native says. “I feel like it is insanely important, especially in today’s toxic and divisive climate, to promote as much love as you can.”
Our Voice is turning 50! Come celebrate half a century of supporting survivors in our community.
Explore the dark side of Beer City on LaZoom’s Ghosted Tour!
Duration
1 hour
About
Come enjoy our most popular Asheville tour!
About
Bachelorette/Bachelor Parties are not permitted on this tour. The Fender Bender Bus is bachelorette/bachelor friendly!
Learn about Asheville’s strange, sometimes sordid past from our ghoulish guides. You’ll laugh! You’ll scream! You’ll discover mysteries and chilling tales of scandal and murder on the blood-stained streets of this picturesque town!
Ghosted runs approximately 60 minutes. Beer and wine are welcome onboard, but no open containers, and absolutely no liquor, please! All beer and wine must be purchased from the LaZoom Room. (Passengers must be at least 21 years old to drink on the bus, and must have valid ID.)
Age Restrictions
17 and up. No exceptions.
What’s Included
A bunch of bus seats
History of murders, ghosts and tragedies in the Land of the Sky
Tongue-in-cheek comedy
A live (not dead) tour guide
What’s Not Included
Bathroom breaks (It’s 60 minutes long – plan accordingly!)
Beer or Wine (Purchase at our bar, the LaZoom Room, and take on the bus)
Laughing (we’ll give you the funny, but it’s up to you to laugh)
Gratuity (guides only accept dead president currency)
Waitlist
If your desired time and availability is full, then please give us a call to be added to the waitlist.
Our student playwrights have written some surreal, moving and hilarious scripts for our 2024 One Act Festival, and our student cast and crew members are standing by to bring them to life on the stage.
The only thing missing is you!
Enjoy a live performance by Minnesota’s Peter Mayer, who has been singing and songwriting full-time for over 20 years, performing in venues across the United States and beyond. He writes songs for a small planet–songs about interconnectedness and the human journey–songs about life on earth and the mysterious and wondrous fact of our existence.
International Recording Artist, Grammy Member, and American Idol Golden Ticket Winner, Blake Ellege is a generational talent whose unparalleled vocals have transported and enthralled audiences around the world. Join Blake and his showband: “Saddletramp” on a journey through Country Music’s Greatest Hits. Come see for yourself why Blake has been named one of the most prominent and charismatic entertainers on this side of the Mississippi.
By John Logan
Directed by Julie Kinter
Fangmeyer Theatre
Starring Lyn Donley as Sue Mengers
Step into the glitz and glamour of Hollywood’s golden age with I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers! This captivating one-woman show, penned by acclaimed writer John Logan, invites you into the opulent world of legendary talent agent Sue Mengers. Set against the backdrop of 1981 Beverly Hills, this intimate and revealing performance offers a front-row seat to Mengers’ life, career, and the tantalizing secrets of the stars she represented. Get ready for an evening of laughter, scandal, and behind-the-scenes tales that will leave you hungry for more. Bette Midler originated the role and now its back on its feet with the one and only Lyn Donley!
Rated PG-13, strong language.
Directed by Philip Kershaw
CAPTIVATING | HISTORICAL | BIODRAMA
From his landmark victory in Brown v. Board of Education to becoming the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court—Thurgood Marshall devoted his life to the pursuit of a more just world. This captivating one-man play explores his work and life with riveting and inspiring storytelling.
“All bio dramas should be as vivid and entertaining as THURGOOD. A story rich in history, humanity and humor.”
–New York Daily News
Content advisory: strong language, use of racial slurs, and descriptions of violence