SPOTLIGHT ON... Garland Lee Thompson Jr.
A Man Who Has A Way With Words
by Tricia Wayne

Garland Lee Thompson Jr. and Sr.

Currently, Garland Senior is the Executive Director of Frank Silvera's Writers Workshop in New York. In 2001, both Thompsons coordinated and performed in a play-reading series at the National Black Theater Festival in North Carolina. Thirty-seven plays were read during a 5-day period. Participants included Charles Dutton and Paul Winfield White. During that time Garland also won the first NBTF Poetry Slam, an event that was judged by a panel composed of stage and screen actors, including Chester Gregory and Tony Award Nominee, Andre DeShields.

In the early nineties Garland returned to California and became active on the Los Angeles Spoken Word scene. He co-hosted a weekly series entitled "Mr. Mojo's Neighborhood, and later produced "Poetry at the ImProv," which was staged at the world famous Improv Comedy Club. In 1992 he split the Hollywood scene, and for a few years settled in Austin, Texas, during which time he hosted a poetry slam at the Planet Theatre that was voted "The Friendliest Poetry Slam in Austin." This event, "Shootout at the Planet," ran for nearly two years.

Also, while in Austin, Garland became the Poetry Director for the Clarkesville Jazz Festival, that enabled the appearance of nearly a hundred poets from various areas of Central Texas. Additionally, he was a special guest at the Austin International Poetry Festival for two consecutive years. In addition to the creation of several national poetry slam events, Garland has toured with Dallas poet, Clebo Rainey, and joined the Latino Poets Tour in 1998. This group, founded by Miguel Algarin of the Nuyorican Poets Café, performed in England and Scotland.

By 1995 Garland was back in California again, performing on the Central Coast for First Night Monterey and the Carmel Performing Arts Festival (now the California Performing Arts Festival) events. In addition to poetry slams, he produced/performed his one man show SWINGIN' FROM THE VINE: TALES OF THE JAZZBO BLUE. On the road again in 1997, he toured a one-man show called THE RIGHT TO DREAM - the story of a young black man's coming-of-age during the Civil Rights Era. This show was performed at middle and high schools, colleges, and churches. In 2000 he worked with residents of a Seaside drug and alcohol recovery program, Genesis House, and created a work performed for First Night Monterey 2001, THE GENESIS PEOPLE, that debuted at the Bruce Ariss Memorial Wharf Theater.

Amid his continental and global travels, Garland has graced the stages of the Monterey Peninsula in more than a dozen plays in half as many years. Among his performance credits are:

Forest Theater Guild - A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

Magic Circle Center - SHADOWBOX, THE ODD COUPLE, and Rupert Holmes' complex thriller, ACCOMPLICE, in which he performed as four personae.

MPC Players at the Cherry Hall - FANIA

Pacific Repertory Theatre - the 2001 Shake-spearean Series, and he is in rehearsal for their upcoming production of HENRY IV, Parts 1 and 2, in which he will play Ned Poims.

Unicorn Theatre - THE THREE PENNY OPERA, GUY THINGS, THE TWELFTH NIGHT and GENEVA. The Western Stage - THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET, THE GOOD TIMES ARE KILLING ME, VIVA ZAPATA and two plays in Western Stage's Festival of One Acts (HOME FREE and THE VIRTUOUS BURGLAR).

Garland Lee Thompson Jr. in THE THREE PENNY OPERA
Unicorn Theatre

Garland is a gentle man with the soul of a poet, and yet he is frequently cast as a villainous character - often subtle but with a shade of sleaze. He says that "frankly, he likes playing bad guys." In fact, during his Texas years, he once played Saddam Hussein, and another time he played a prison inmate who was incarcerated as a serial killer. When asked about his favorite roles, he replied that Mac the Knife in THREE PENNY was among his favorites. In this role he was able to dance, sing, flirt, and get drunk with the boys. Mac's not really a villain - he's just a playboy with a glib tongue and a fast blade. He also liked being the macho man uncle in MANGO STREET, who thrilled all the kids with a ride in his fancy car. The "low-life understudy" in ACCOMPLICE was definitely a physical challenge as Garland was subjected to being trussed in bondage bracelets, silenced with mouth tape, threatened with a gun as well as a knife, and eventually electrocuted.

During the recent July 20-21 weekend, Garland produced and hosted his Central Coast creation - the "West Coast Championship Poetry Slam," an event that has taken place annually since 1998. As in the past, nearly one hundred poets participated before a crowd of almost 500, and $2,000 was awarded in prizes. This event is held yearly at the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur and attracts poets from as far north as British Columbia, as well as Oregon and many regions of California.

ACCOMPLICE - Magic Circle Center

As for the months to come, Garland has a full agenda. During the months of September, October, and November, in addition to performing in the HENRY IVs, he will be coordinating and hosting three poetry slams in conjunction with the California Performing Arts Festival; then, he will host the Thor House Fall Festival (October 12-13), and - last but not least - off to Jamaica where he will coordinate the Jamerican Film and Music Festival. This an event designed to provide a creative outlet for "writers of color."

Garland Lee Thompson Jr. (left) in THE GOODBYE PEOPLE Magic Circle Center