A Soldier’s Play

Written by Charles Fuller
Directed by Robert Connor
Presented by the Morehouse College King Players
At the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel

February 1996

I played the white captain responsible for an all-black barracks of men in this WWII-era drama. Winner of a 1982 Pulitzer Prize, the play explores the tension of segregation and military homophobia through a murder mystery. There is also a very good movie version, A Soldier's Story, starring Denzel Washington.

Cast

Gerald Ford
Carey Means
Nasser Metcalfe
Fernando Battle
Troy Halverson
Joe Macon
Malik Cooper
Marc Parella

Connections

I found out about this casting from Greg Abbott, the director at Drama Tech where I did so many shows. He had been contacted by Fuller seeking talent for the "token white boys.".

I had a lodger at the time: Marc Parella was a grad student studying at my alma mater, Georgia Tech. When I found out the play needed two, Two, TWO caucasians, I got him to audition with me since he had done some theatre as an undergrad. It was pretty neat that we both got cast, and could car pool down to Morehouse for rehearsals and performances.