tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley.tonight, a conversation with phylicia rashad. her latest project is a revival ," "joe turner's come and gone which she directed. it opened here in los angeles. we are glad you have joined us or a conversation with phylicia rashad, coming up right now. >> there is a saying that dr. king had that said there is always the right time to do the right thing. i just try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we are only halfway to completely eliminate hunger, and we have a lot of work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out.

>> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: phylicia rashad outstanding career as an actress and director has won won her a myriad of awards for my including a tony award. 2 emmy nominations for her role as claire in the long-running "the cosby show." "joe turner's come and gone" has just hope -- has just opened here in los angeles. it is an honor to have you on this program. is it just me, or do i see you directing something anytime i

look up? [laughter] tavis: -- >> not yet. tavis: but you are doing a lot more of this. what do you get out of it? what is the take away for you from directing? withrst of all, working the entire production and creative team. and how that works and happens, how to galvanize energies to move in a line. as the vision is developing. that is an amazing thing. that is an amazing experience. tavis: that experience is made easier when you have work like august wilson's. >> it is easier in one way and demanding in another. you better get it right.

the text is perfect. when ias an actor, think about my youth in the theater, there were so many who knew? but when you have a great text, that is a tremendous help, both as an actor and director. directed hisve work, you have been in his work. for you, what is it about august wilson? then i want to get specifically to "joe turner's come and gone." of that template corpus, this one gets a lot of reliable work. i talk to me about august wilson. >> he is an inspired writer. what do i mean by that? people are inspired by different things.

write anything he did not hear inside himself. that is a very different approach to work. that is different than manipulating ideas, you know? that is a very different premise. he is steeped in the craft of playwriting. but to be inspired, and inspired playwright, that is a horse of a different color. ,avis: can you tell on the page without regard to the writer, whether or not it was inspired or whether it is manipulating un's, moments, ideas? can you tell the difference? >> you can feel the difference. you feel it.

it is as simple as that. you feel it. tavis: "joe turner's come and ," august has done in 10 plays all good stuff on this historic continuum. there is something about this play, i think -- in fact, i know i have seen "joe turner's come and gone" more than anything else in the 10 plays in the canon. why does this one keep coming back? >> there is something about this play. there is something about this play. i am told that august considered this the perfect play. this play, what is this play about? tavis: that is a loaded question. >> and a loaded answer.

million answers to it. it captures you, takes you, in a way. "gem of the and ," not" even "radio golf the mystical way in which it is presented in "joe turner's come is this," but there underlying theme of being connected to the past, connected to the history, connection to the middle passage. and what that connection means, what that means to the how do you understand yourself? what do you know of yourself? how that allows you to move or lack ofe

knowledge hinders your movement. qualify orwould you define how good a job he did with the through line on this historical continuum that we were referencing earlier? obviously, the whole canon covers a journey. people take a piece of that journey and tried to do something with it. his whole work takes you from here to here. that is a lot of ground to cover. a lot of responsibility. he did it, but what do you make of how he did it? >> he did it in a most amazing way. if you look at the first play run a logically, "gem of the ocean," and the last play, lasto golf," he ties the to the first with familial relationships that are uncovered. if you see "radio golf," you

say, oh. if you see "gem of the ocean," you say, oh! he brings it all circle. he ties it in a way. tavis: to one of my earlier questions about august wilson's work, i thought immediately of how inspired i was to read and have a few connections, to know that he was working on it. we were never friends, but i am such a fan of his work, i am checking in through my own context to see how he is doing. everyone knows he is sick and dying. he put the finishing touches of this thing, the last one, "radio his deathbed, literally. he was not getting out of here until you finish this play. "> he left "gem of the ocean immediately to begin work on "radio golf."

we opened on broadway in december and closed in february. was up in new haven in april. he had a mission. he had something to do. and he did it. augustlet me jump from being inspired to what inspires you these days. i want to be clear that i am not trying to rush you out of here. i am not trying to rush you off the stage anytime soon, the stage of life or broadway. , what is the word my grandmother used? as you get more chronologically gifted year after year, are you inspired in different ways? are there urgencies you feel in your life, in your work? do you know what i am getting at?

tell me more about how you are processing life, your life's task, your work might your mission. -- your work, your mission. >> i asked myself certain questions. what would it be like to direct a play that was completely new to me? that was completely new to an audience? and that happened at the goodman theatre. i said, ok. how creative,lf, just how creative can i really be? and what does that mean? that is a big question. i said to you when you came on the set that i am anxious to get back to new york. i have been everywhere but new york the last few weeks.

i keep reading and am anxious to get back to see your baby. she is 88 years old doing multiple shows per week. she is killing me with this. doing at and she is least five shows every week. everything i read about her, your daughter's name is a nickname. this is the proverbial question. you must you proud of your daughter. >> i am. i really am. i am really proud of her work ethic. tavis: i wonder where she got that? >> maybe from my mother. tavis: maybe she got it from her mother. am happiesthat i about. she understands that it is really about the work. she understands the value of work. and she loves it. tavis: what is amazing about

this to me, it is a beautiful thing. it is not often or not always that the child of a star, and iconic star in her case, the child of a star jumps in this business and so early on does work that is met with critical acclaim. that does not happen every day. >> i know. tavis: you know this. >> i do know that. that is granola. she has imbibed the best of what she has seen. that is the only way i can explain it. she has her own take on things and her own way of entering the life of a character. and she is good at it. tavis: you have been directing "joe turner's come and gone." it just opened this past

wednesday. have you seen her play? you have not even seen it yet. mommy mommy missed, failed. get a chance.l when you sit in the audience and she has watched you for years, when you watch her, are you nervous, comfortable, relaxed? >> it is like watching someone i do not know. it is really good. she inhabits her character. i love that. i watch her and just, yeah. tavis: i want to come back to "joe turner's come and gone." you will want to check it out. what is the contemporary takeaway for the audience today? it is a historical play.

contemporary takeaway? >> i have not really spoken to people in the audience except to hear them say wow. because he wrote about life, people in life and the lives of people that you pass on the street. there was much to their lives that would be interesting. he elevated their lives to interest. what do human beings want and value most in life? search forthat we and long for, really? it is love. what human beings really want. tavis: whether we acknowledge it

or not. >> it is the truth. tavis: we all want to be loved, respected, acknowledged. every now and then, we want to be paid attention to. at the center of the human condition is a cry for help. we all want to be loved. >> we want to not just be loved, we want to know love. we want to experience love. this is what human beings really crave. what we see in the loomis isof harold not just a person who is angry, but a person who is wounded. who is angry, wounded, in search of some kind of understanding about what does any or all of this mean? he keeps saying, i have got to find my way in life.

i have got to find my starting place in life. he was a man who was so disconnected from his own life through no fault of his own. it is the will during -- it is the will during -- bewildering. this audience, we watched man who is surrounded by good people who do not understand him at all even though they are good-natured people. there is just so much. talking aboute love a moment ago. this weekend is all about love because this weekend is mother's day. -- in asked you and many many of our previous conversations about the role your mother has played in your life. you and your sister, such a wonderful family. as you get older, as you are a

parent and you see your daughter making her way in the world, what do you most appreciate now about your mama at this point in your life? >> her honesty. and has always been completely honest about who she is. and what she thinks. and what she looks for. my mother has always been completely honest about that. sometimes, it can be disconcerting. oh yes. oh yeah. in the end -- the beginning, the middle, and the end, it has allowed us, her children, to grow in honesty. tavis: thank you for sharing

that. to youto say goodbye and thank you for coming. you are welcome back here anytime. "joe turner's come and gone here in la. you will want to get down there to see the play directed by phylicia rashad. happy mother's day to you. speaking of mother's day, so many others who have been guests on this program talked about their mothers in recognition of mother's day. he put together some special memories of guests talking about their mamas. take a look. >> my mother was one of these people that was very, the reason it said "the tonight show was jay leno," it originally starring. she said, starring, mr. big shot. i said, all right. it will be with jay leno. my mother kept the whole thing in perspective.

house and put the my feet up on the table. i will tell you exactly what she said. "take your damn feet off my table." she said, what do you want? i said, i am going to run for president. she said, president of what? >> my mother named the girl. she wanted an italian musical name. andantino meant walking slowly. she did not like the implications of that. even worse, she liked allegro, but that meant fast and in the 1960s, that was even worse. >> my mom took this roll of quarters and she would cold

call agents saying, you have got to look at my daughter. she is an actress and really pretty. just her believed in me and what an enormous gift that is. she just, she is my number one fan. somehow, we get caught up in this place where things that do not really matter start to matter and it starts to get confusing as to what you hold true to yourself. for me, a lot of that comes from being raised by a really incredible woman. i was raised by my mother and she is no-nonsense, and, incredible. she always kept me in line. part of that has been really good for me. i have a really strong, grounded sense from the beginning. >> when i was born, it became obvious to everyone present, including the midwife, that there was something unusual.

i was just a child i did not -- that would survive. oft was the general opinion everyone, including my dad. took exception to that. she got up the following morning and dressed us up the next morning and she left that house where we were and she went environment of florida, within the black community, looking for as much support as she could find she did not want me to start. -- starve. >> my mother read a blurb that

jackie robinson was trying to move to stamford, connecticut with his wife and three kids. forapparently turned down him a piece property on cascade avenue. she got in touch with rachel robinson and said, let's meet on the merritt parkway. my mother took her to various real estate agents. and said, we would like to see that piece of property on cascade avenue. with whatever misgivings or embarrassment, the real estate agents took them over to see the property. little by little, they bought the piece of property. to spirit that my mother had have all of these civil rights meetings and protests on our lawn. >> my mother did someone -- did

something extremely courageous for someone at that time in puerto rico. she was devoted to my father. she was just about 20, which was unheard of. she did something remarkably and tok a ship to new york city see if she could find some kind of other life. when she made enough money and had earned just about enough english, she took the ship back to puerto rico. she had to go back for christmas. her idea was to bring me back to the united states for the better life that she was after. >> myom lets me with a smile. my dad blessed me with the work ethic. i combined the two and here i am today. came with a title sign that said, "i am yours."

>> that is your mama? ♪ she is out there, i am yours. , "here i am, signed, sealed, delivered, i am yours ." i said, brilliantm,a. >> she loved ella fitzgerald and diana washington. >> your mom had good taste. >> parents, they make a mistake and think that they own the children. the children do not belong to the parents. .he parent is a vehicle the children belong to god. sometimes, parents make the mistake of intruding into a

place that is not for them to intrude. which musteverybody remain pristine, clear, clean. that may be the place that the person goes to meet god at that last moment. everybody thinks their mom is the best and create -- and greatest. i am not mad at them, but my mom really is the best and greatest. to joy smiley, happy mother's day and happy mother's day to all of you. have a great weekend. that is our show for tonight from la. thank you for watching. as always, keep the faith. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with diane carol. we will see you then.

>> there is a saying that dr. king had that said there is always the right time to do the right thing. i just try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we are only halfway to completely eliminate hunger, and we have a lot of work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> be more. pbs.

turmoil at the top in oakland. two days after police chief howard jordan abruptly stepped down, another shakeup. prison realignment under attack. again. the latest comes from lieutenant governor abel maldonado. >> i'm here to discuss an issue that threatens the lives of every californian. >> pg&e faces a record fine for the blast. more than $2 billion. plus, former bay area comic w. kamau bell, totally honest, totally unfiltered about his hit show "totally biased." >> as a black person in america, you have to find humor in race, or you'll go