Paul Robeson portrayed by Marvin Jefferson
Greenville Tech Barton Campus — Corner of S. Pleasantburg and E. Faris Road, 29607. FREE Outdoor Show — Bring lawn seating. Before the event visit HistoryComesAlive.org for the exact location on the Greenville Tech Barton Campus. Inclement weather plan (extreme heat or rain) — Show will be moved into the Dreisbach/Anderson Student Success Center Auditorium, 506 S. Pleasantburg Drive. You will need to come early to get a seat. First come, first served. Doors will open 45 minutes before show time. Paul Robeson was a singer, actor, athlete, scholar, and social activist. A man of deep conviction and extraordinary complexity, Paul came of age during one of the more difficult periods in American history. Born in Princeton, New Jersey and raised by his father, the Rev. William Drew Robeson (his mother, Maria Louisa, died when Paul was six years old) and by numerous members of Princeton’s African-American community, Paul grew to become an outstanding scholar-athlete in both high school and college.
After graduating from Rutgers College in 1919, Paul went to Columbia Law school where he earned his degree in 1923. Paul married Eslanda Cardozo Goode while in law school, and it was she who helped guide him into a career as an actor and singer. For more than 25 years, Paul was known as one of the great artists of his generation. Between 1927-1939, Paul lived in London, England where he became totally politicized. He became an uncompromising fighter for civil and human rights at home and abroad and for friendship with the Soviet Union. It was these activities that led the US government to nearly destroy him during the 1950’s. Marvin Jefferson has an extensive background as a professional actor/director, educator and living history scholar. He has devoted many years to studying the lives of Paul Robeson and Martin Luther King, Jr. Since 1997, he has engaged audiences across the country with his popular chautauqua performances of these two important historical figures. In 2012, he was commissioned to portray York for Ohio Chautauqua.
Most recently, Marvin was commissioned to portray Louis Armstrong for High Plains Chautauqua in August of 2024. In February 2024, Marvin portrayed Martin Luther King, Jr. as part of the Black History Live tour. He portrayed Louis Armstrong for the same tour in 2025 sponsored by Colorado Humanities. Marvin studied acting at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. From 1995 to 2018, he taught acting at Bloomfield College, a private liberal arts college in Bloomfield, New Jersey. He began his training as a Chautauquan with the help and guidance of two nationally renowned scholars, the late Giles R. Wright and Dr. Clement A. Price.