• Written by Mike Wiley & Howard L. Craft
• Performed by Mike Wiley
• Co-presented by NC Stage and the YMI Cultural Center

HISTORIC | CIVIL RIGHTS | SOLO PIECE

Please note: *All performances will take place at the YMI Cultural Center** at 39 S. Market St. Downtown Asheville*

On July 8, 1944, Private Booker T. Spicely boarded a bus in downtown Durham but never made it back to camp. The Black soldier, newly stationed at a nearby Army base and unfamiliar with the South’s Jim Crow laws, was shot twice in the chest by the bus driver after a dispute over his seat. The driver reboarded the bus and continued his route. An all-White jury later acquitted him in 28 minutes.

Award-winning playwright and performer Mike Wiley brings Spicely, the driver, and a chorus of witnesses back to life in this searing solo show — excavating a story that faded from public memory in a city known for its progressive views, visionary Black entrepreneurs, and institutes of higher learning.

Join Mike Wiley for a Q&A following each performance.