Award-winning play COWBOY makes its California debut in Oakland
Bass Reeves—the legendary Black lawman whose extraordinary career as a United States Deputy Marshal inspired generations of historians and storytellers—served long before television audiences came to know the Lone Ranger. Now, the award-winning stage play COWBOY, written and directed by Layon Gray, makes its California premiere in Oakland for five performances only, August 21–23, 2026, at the Valley Center for the Performing Arts, located on the former Holy Names University campus.
Produced by Spirit & Image Entertainment, COWBOY tells the gripping story of Bass Reeves, who served as a United States Deputy Marshal from 1875 to 1907 and is widely believed to have been one of the inspirations for the fictional Lone Ranger. As playwright Layon Gray explains, “He wasn’t born a legend—he became one.”
Set in 1888, twenty-three years after the abolition of slavery, the drama follows Reeves and his Creek companion, Grant Johnson, as they find themselves trapped inside a remote saloon in Indian Territory with two dangerous fugitives while a deadly tornado closes in. The suspense-filled production celebrates one of the most remarkable—and too often overlooked—heroes of the American West.
Event Links
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3753051-0
