PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, January 23, 2013 CONTACT: Patrick Finlon, Marketing Director 315-443-2636 or pjfinlon@syr.edu
Glorious Storytelling in August Wilson’s Politically Potent and Humorous Two Trains Running, January 30—February 17 “There are always and only two trains running. There is life and there is death. Each of us rides them both.” - August Wilson (Syracuse, NY)— In Two Trains Running, an optimistic ex-con enters the insular confines of Memphis Lee's diner and awakens a cast of older and skeptical characters to the possibilities of a new era. Set in the turbulence of 1969, a time much like today, Two Trains Running is one of the most humorous and politically potent of Wilson's 20th Century Cycle plays. Directed by Stage’s Producing Artistic Director Timothy Bond, Two Trains Running will perform January 30—February 17 in the Archbold Theatre at Syracuse Stage, 820 East Genesee Street. Tickets, $30-$51 for adults and $18 for age 18 and under, are available at the Syracuse Stage Box Office, 315-443-3275 or www.SyracuseStage.org. Two Trains Running is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Presenting Sponsor is the Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation. Media Sponsors are Urban CNY, WAER and WCNY. Syracuse Stage season sponsors are The Post-Standard and Time Warner Cable.
The set model for Two Trains Running, the interior of Memphis Lee’s Diner.
Syracuse Stage Producing Artistic Director Timothy Bond (right) with Erika LaVonn (Risa) and Robert Manning Jr. (Sterling) in rehearsal for Two Trains Running.
Two Trains Running is the seventh August Wilson play produced by Syracuse Stage, continuing Timothy Bond’s commitment to produce Wilson’s entire 20th Century Cycle—a collection of 10 plays chronicling the African American experience in each decade of the 20th century. As a great American playwright of the 20th century, Wilson’s numerous accolades include two Pulitzers (Fences and The Piano Lesson), several Drama Desk Awards, and a Tony Award for works that include Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Two Trains Running, Seven Guitars and King Hedley II. Two Trains Running was nominated for both the 1992 Tony Award for Best Play and
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the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The New York Times praised Two Trains for “glorious storytelling…a penetrating revelation of a world hidden from view to those outside it.” “Like Shakespeare or Ibsen or Eugene O’Neill, Wilson asks profound questions about the human condition,” said Bond. “There is wisdom in the words that stream forth from his characters about dignity, freedom, opportunity and love. His words are capable of touching us all.” For Two Trains Running, Bond assembled an accomplished design team and cast with over 50 August Wilson credits between them. The cast of seven, featuring nationally recognized “Wilsonian Actors,” includes Abdul Salaam El Razzac (as Holloway, national tour of The Piano Lesson, N.A.A.C.P. Image Award for his performance as Toledo in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), William Hall, Jr. (as West, previously Fences and The Boys Next Door at Stage), G. Valmont Thomas (as Memphis, previously Radio Golf at Stage, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston), LeLand Gantt (as Wolf, previously Radio Golf at Stage), Robert Manning, Jr. (as Sterling, 2008 NAACP Award for Best Lead Actor in Defiance at Pasadena Playhouse), Erika LaVonn (as Risa, A Raisin in the Sun at the Kennedy Center and Broadway’s The Lion King), and Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. (as Hambone, previously A Raisin in the Sun and Blues For An Alabama Sky at Stage). Two Trains Running takes place in Memphis Lee’s Diner, located in the Hill District of Pittsburgh. In 1969, Pittsburgh had endured almost two decades of urban renewal projects. The building of new roads isolated the Hill District from the rest of downtown Pittsburgh, forcing businesses and residents to abandon the once vibrant, largely African-American neighborhood known previously as Little Harlem. Urban blight, compounded with social tensions surrounding the Civil Rights Movement, created feelings of uncertainty reflected in the characters of the play. As one of Wilson’s most humorous plays, banter among the regulars at the diner serves as a device for the exchange of powerful political ideas. As the play unfolds, Memphis’s diner is scheduled to be torn down, and he is determined to make the city pay him for what the property is worth, refusing all other offers including from West, the rich funeral director across the street. Sterling, a recent ex-con, has embraced the teachings of Malcolm X; the neighborhood numbers runner, Wolf, has learned to get by in social systems he feels powerless to change; Risa, the waitress, has scarred her legs to distance herself from men; and Holloway believes in the healing powers and prophecies of Aunt Esther, a legendary 349year old woman who lives down the street. “The people of this play…have loud voices and big hearts. They search. They falter. They continue. In the end, they are not overwhelmed. For here there are warriors and saints. Here there is a drumbeat fueled by the blood of Africa. And through it all there are the lessons, the wounds of history,” said August Wilson about Two Trains. “There are always and only two trains running. There is life and there is death. Each of us rides them both. To live life with dignity, to celebrate and accept responsibility for your presence in the world is all that can be asked of anyone.” Two Trains Running first performed at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, and in 1992 it premiered on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City with a cast that included Samuel L. Jackson and Laurence Fishburne.
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Past Wilson productions at Syracuse Stage include Radio Golf (2011 and 1991), Fences (2010), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2008), Gem of the Ocean (2007), Jitney (2002) and The Piano Lesson (1996). Wilson's cycle (in order of decade which the drama is set) includes Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Fences, Two Trains Running, Jitney, King Hedley II and Radio Golf. LOBBY EXHIBITS
Images of the 15th Ward in Syracuse In partnership with the Onondaga Historical Association As part of its ongoing partnership with Syracuse Stage, the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) has produced a seven panel exhibit that will be on display in the theatre lobby during the run of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running. Wilson’s play is set in 1960s Pittsburgh, when the forces of civil rights and urban renewal often came into conflict. OHA’s exhibit draws parallels with Syracuse at the same time, when local urban renewal efforts called for widespread demolition within the city’s primary African-American neighborhood – the 15th Ward. OHA’s exhibit includes historic images of the 15th Ward and introduces its significance for the local black community.
Images of Freedom In partnership with Community Folk Art Center’s Creative Arts Academy Images of Freedom is a collection of paintings done by students in Community Folk Art Center's Creative Arts Academy. Students studied famous black painters from the 1960s and were asked to paint a picture of what freedom means to them in the context of the Civil Rights Movement.
EVENTS Live in the Sutton Series - FRI, Feb. 1 A post-show party in the Sutton Pavilion following the 8 p.m. opening night performance, with live music by the Bill Horrace Trio. Prologue Join us for a free, intimate, insightful and entertaining pre-show talk led by members of the cast. One hour prior to curtain. - SUN, Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. in Room 141 - SAT, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. in the Sutton Pavilion - THURS, Feb. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the Sutton Pavilion Post-Show Panel Discussion – SUN, Feb. 3 after the 2 p.m. matinee performance Join us for an enlightening discussion on "August Wilson’s Women: Wives, Mothers & Children of Incarcerated Black Men" featuring guest panelists from the Syracuse community. Wednesday @ 1 Lecture Series - WED, Feb. 6 Pre-show lecture at 1 p.m. by Professor Horace Campbell on “Cultural and Political Power of African Americans: Then and Now,” in the Sutton Pavilion before the 2 p.m. matinee.
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Open Captioning Series - WED, Feb. 6 & SUN, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. Open captioned 2 p.m. performances Happy Hour - THURS, Feb. 7 from 6-7:15 p.m. Half-price drinks and complimentary appetizers from Juanita’s Soul Classics in the Sutton Pavilion, with spoken word performances by Underground Poetry Spot. Plus, get a taste of our Signature Drink: Loose Caboose (Vodka, Cranberry juice, Lemon juice, Grenadine). Sign Interpreted Series - SAT, Feb. 9 at 3 p.m. Actor Talkback Series - SUN, Feb. 10 Meet the actors after the 7 p.m. performance Audio Described Series - SAT, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. Patrons who are blind or visually impaired may pick up an infrared audio receiver upon arriving at the theatre, and during the performance a live narrator will verbalize visual details about the actors and scenic elements. Due to limited availability, audio receivers must be reserved in advance through the Box Office, 315-443-3275. ABOUT SYRACUSE STAGE Syracuse Stage is Central New York’s premier professional theatre. Founded in 1974, Stage has produced more than 290 plays in 39 seasons including a number of world, American, and East Coast premieres. Each season 90,000 patrons enjoy an adventurous mix of new plays and bold interpretations of classics and musicals featuring the finest theatre artists. In addition, Stage maintains a vital educational outreach program that annually serves over 30,000 students from 24 counties. A solid core of subscribers and supporters helps keep Syracuse Stage a vibrant artistic presence in Central New York. Additional support comes from the government, foundations, corporations and Syracuse University. Syracuse Stage is a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, and a member of the Arts and Cultural Leadership Alliance (ACLA), the University Hill Corporation and the East Genesee Regent Association. Syracuse Stage is a member of The League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the largest professional theatre association in the country.
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Info Sheet BASIC INFO August Wilson’s Two Trains Running Directed by Timothy Bond January 30—February 17, 2013 Archbold Theatre at Syracuse Stage 820 East Genesee Street SPONSORS Two Trains Running is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Presenting Sponsor: Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation Media Sponsors:
Urban CNY WAER WCNY
Season Sponsors:
The Post-Standard Time Warner Cable
TICKETS Adults: $30-$51 40 & Under: $30-$32 18 & Under: $18 *Senior discounts available all performances except Friday and Saturday evenings. *Rush tickets day of performance only: $20-$25 general public and $20 with valid student ID, subject to availability. Online: www.SyracuseStage.org Call: 315-443-3275 In person: 820 East Genesee Street Groups (10 or more): 315-443-9844 CAST William Hall, Jr. (West) LeLand Gantt (Wolf) Erika LaVonn (Risa) Robert Manning, Jr. (Sterling) Abdul Salaam El Razzac (Holloway) Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. (Hambone) G. Valmont Thomas (Memphis)
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DESIGNERS William Bloodgood (Scenic Designer) Helen Q. Huang (Costume Designer) Dawn Chiang (Lighting Design) Michael G. Keck (Composer) STAGE MANAGER Laura Jane Collins (Stage Manager) DIRECTION Timothy Bond SHOW CALENDAR (January/February): SUN
MON
TUES
WED
THURS
FRI
SAT
30
31
1
2
7:30 P
7:30 P
8:00 O
3:00 8:00
3
4
5
2:00 D
6
7
8
9
2:00 OC, W
7:30 H
8:00
3:00 S 8:00
7:30 10
2:00
11
12
13
14
15
16
7:30
7:30
7:30
8:00
3:00 AD
7:00 T
8:00
17
2:00 OC
P=Preview O=Press Opening, LIVE in the Sutton H=Happy Hour S=Sign Interpreted AD=Audio Described OC = Open Captioned T=Actor Talkback W=Wednesday @ 1 Lecture D=Post Show Discussion
### Syracuse Stage I Producing Artistic Director: Timothy Bond I Managing Director: Jeffrey Woodward 820 E. Genesee St. I Main: 315-443-4008 I Box Office: 315-443-3275 I www.SyracuseStage.org
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