Artist in Residence Series
In 2006, Thurgood Marshall College established an annual artist-in-residence program to bring to campus leading performers and artists from San Diego and Southern California. The artist is highlighted during each of three academic quarters in performances, public ensemble work, informal discussions over afternoon tea or reception, and conducting a full quarter’s honor seminar. The artist is given an opportunity to develop new performance work, which often goes on to fuller production off campus. One such example is the 2008 Artist-in-Residence, Seema Sueko, and her one person show, Nine Parts Of Desire, a campus preview of the professional production the subsequent year.
In addition, the resident artists return to UC San Diego for a repeat of a successful theme or venue on campus, such as Mark Christopher Lawrence’s Conscious Comedy show which plays at the UC San Diego Porter’s Pub each spring. When made possible, we endeavor to record segments of artistry and events via support from campus and community sponsors. TMC resident artist Karole Foreman’s highly memorable 2008 Josephine Baker show is on our web video. This January 2010, noted actor M’Lafi Thomas will create and perform a one person show on the Obama presidency.
M’Lafi Thompson – next Artist in Residence
Awarded winning actor M’Lafi Thompson has planned her one person TMC residency show in late January to be timed with the first anniversary of President Obama’s term in office. Collaborating with UC San Diego’s MFA playwright Ronald McCants, Ms. Thompson will excite some political portraits in an engaging narrative, partly inspired by her participation in the Washington D.C. inaugural parties last year.
This is Ms. Thompson’s return to Marshall College, since she was the featured performer in The Haunting of Jim Crow 
produced and commissioned by TMC and performed at the San Diego Contemporary Museum of Art (2005) and given a KPBS radio broadcast too (2004). Ms. Thomson will also star in San Diego Rep’s production of Boom – opening January 9, 2010. As in previous TMC artist-in-residency shows, this will be free and open to the public at large.
