He is onstage at the Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis
By Kenya Vaughn
For the St. Louis American
“I must say that this is a special thing that the people of St. Louis have,” Raphael Nash Thompson said about the Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis and its production of Julius Caesar, which runs in Forest Park opposite the Saint Louis Art Museum through June 18.
“Something of this quality that is free and open to all and with very little hassle to be a part of it, you just come out and relax – not too many cities have that.”
Thompson portrays the title character in Julius Caesar, one of five African Americans in the cast.
Thompson has done his share of outdoor Shakespeare festivals, including ones in New York and D.C., and he proclaims that St. Louis is by far the best.
“This is really the ideal for a Shakespeare festival,” said Thompson. “In New York, they try to do the free Shakespeare in the park, but you have to get up at like six in the morning for tickets, come back later and all of that. It’s really more trouble than what it’s worth.”
Thompson has a laid-back, friendly personality, with traces of Southern charm. However, when the lights came up on him dressed in a toga on the mainstage at Forest Park, he was a force to be reckoned with. The attire was undeniably Roman, but with Thompson’s statuesque frame he couldn’t help but look like the most regal of African Kings. His deep and commanding voice barely needed to be enhanced with a microphone when he intoned the Bard’s intricate lines.
Thompson admitted that this has not always been the case, and in the beginning he struggled with his confidence.
“I had my job at a law firm but would continue to take classes, and my Shakespeare teacher said, ‘You know, you are quite good. Why aren’t you working more? Are you afraid to put yourself on the line and work?’” Thompson said.
“And I realized, he had a point. I was more comfortable in the classroom than out there trying to get work. I had to change my way of thinking.”
This new way of thinking didn’t truly register until he did a one-man show based on the life of Paul Robeson in 1998. “I was on stage by myself for two and a half hours. I felt if I was able to get through that, then I could do anything,” said Thompson.
“I likened it to running a marathon every evening. I had to sing, dance and create other characters. It was really a challenge and was well received. It made me think, ‘I am pretty good, maybe I can do well at this.’”
Although the North Carolina native majored in art history in college and worked in publishing before moving to New York, Thompson was bit by the acting bug very early in life.
“I grew up in the black church, and when I was four years old I read some Bible lesson at the podium to the whole church,” said Thompson.
“When I got back to my seat, this woman sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘That was very nice’ and handed me a dollar. I was just blown away. I think that had something to do with it.”
Since that Sunday way back when, Thompson has done several television commercials, held down a recurring role on the television series Soul Food and made appearances on the NBC shows Ed and Third Watch. But most of his work comes from Shakespeare.
“I’ve done Othello quite a few times. I’ve done a great number of Shakespeare’s plays. I do that probably more than anything,” he said.
“In Shakespearean plays, there are usually about 20 characters. There was a point in my career where I would be the only black. But now that has changed. There are a handful in every production.”
Monica Parks (who plays Caesar’s wife), Thomasina Clarke, Will Davis and Reginald Metcalf are the chosen few for Julius Caesar.
“The people who run the festival are excited about it, the audiences have been excited about it and the actors are enjoying doing it,” said Thompson. “This festival and the production provide the experience of seeing a classic play under the stars, which is a treat that you just don’t find in too many places.”
Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis’ production of Julius Caesar continues nightly (with the exception of Tuesdays) through June 18 in Forest Park. The pre-performance Green Show, which includes dancers, musicians, lectures and mini-plays, begins at 6:30 p.m. with Julius Caesar starting at 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.sfstl.com.
