Jitney

AUGUST WILSON (PLAYWRIGHT) (April 27, 1945-October 2, 2005) authored 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. These works explore the heritage and experience of African-Americans, decade-by-decade, over the course of the twentieth century. His plays have been produced at regional theaters across the country and all over the world, as well as on Broadway. In 2003, Mr. Wilson made his professional stage debut in his one-man show, How I Learned What I Learned. Mr. Wilson’s works garnered many awards including Pulitzer Prizes for Fences (1987); and for The Piano Lesson (1990); a Tony Award for Fences; Great Britain’s Olivier Award for Jitney; as well as eight New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running, Seven Guitars, Jitney, and Radio Golf. Additionally, the cast recording of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom received a 1985 Grammy Award, and Mr. Wilson received a 1995 Emmy Award nomination for his screenplay adaptation of The Piano Lesson. Mr. Wilson’s early works included the one-act plays The Janitor, Recycle, The Coldest Day of the Year, Malcolm X, The Homecoming and the musical satire Black Bart and the Sacred Hills. Mr. Wilson received many fellowships and awards, including Rockefeller and Guggenheim Fellowships in Playwrighting, the Whiting Writers Award, 2003 Heinz Award, was awarded a 1999 National Humanities Medal by the President of the United States, and received numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities, as well as the only high school diploma ever issued by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. He was an alumnus of New Dramatists, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a 1995 inductee into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and on October 16, 2005, Broadway renamed the theater located at 245 West 52nd Street – The August Wilson Theatre. Additionally, Mr. Wilson was posthumously inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2007. Mr. Wilson was born and raised in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and lived in Seattle, Washington at the time of his death. He is immediately survived by his two daughters, Sakina Ansari and Azula Carmen Wilson, and his wife, costume designer Constanza Romero. 

Ruben Santiago-Hudson returns to Two River, where he directed August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Two Trains Running, and Jitney and his own world-premiere play, Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine. He Broadway production of Jitney won Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, New York Drama Critics’ Circle, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. He recently directed and performed his Obie Award-winning solo show Lackawanna Blues at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles; his screenplay for the HBO adaptation received the Humanitas Prize, Christopher Award, National Board of Review Honors, and NAACP Image Award, and Emmy, Golden Globe, and Writers Guild of America nominations. Santiago-Hudson made his directorial debut with Gem of the Ocean (McCarter Theatre and American Conservatory Theater). His other recent directing credits include Othello (Delacorte Theater); two world premieres by Dominique Morisseau, Skeleton Crew (Atlantic) and Paradise Blue (Williamstown); Athol Fugard’s My Children! My Africa!, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars and The First Breeze of Summer (all for Signature Theatre Company, where he was an Associate Artist 2008-2009); Quiara Alegria Hudes’ The Happiest Song Plays Last (for Second Stage); Things of Dry Hours (New York Theatre Workshop); and Radio Golf (Kennedy Center). Santiago-Hudson made his Broadway acting debut in Jelly’s Last Jam. His performance in Seven Guitars earned him the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. His recent theater performances include August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned (Signature Theatre), Stick Fly (Broadway), A Winter’s Tale (NYSF), and Gem of the Ocean (Broadway). He was seen on TV in the ABC show Castle as Captain Roy Montgomery for three seasons and most recently on the AMC Drama Low Winter Sun; his other TV credits include: The Family, Billions, Public Morals, The Good Wife, Low Winter Sun, Person of Interest, Forgotten Genius, The West Wing, Law & Order The Red Sneakers, Solomon and Sheba, Rear Window. His film credits include Selma, Their Eyes Were Watching God, American Gangster, Shaft, Devil’s Advocate, and Domestic Disturbance, among many others.  He has been honored with numerous awards, including three Obies, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Dramalogue, Joe A. Calloway Directing Award, Clarence Derwent, and Helen Hayes Awards, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Wayne State University, AUDELCO Awards, a Black Filmmaker’s Award, and an HBO Arts Festival Theater Award. He is the recipient of Honorary Doctorate degrees from both Buffalo State College and Wayne State University. The Ruben Santiago-Hudson Fine Arts Learning Center in Lackawanna, New York was named in his honor.

Neil Patel (Scenic Designer) designed Two River’s production of August Wilson’s Jitney earlier this season. Broadway: Oleanna, [title of show], Ring of Fire, Side Man, ‘night Mother, Wonderland. West End: Side Man, Underneath the Lintel. Off-Broadway: BAM, Second Stage, New York Theatre Workshop, Public Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout, Playwrights Horizons, others. Regional: The Kennedy Center, Arena, Guthrie, Steppenwolf. Center Theatre Group, American Conservatory Theater, American Repertory Theater, Center Stage, others. Opera: Opera de Montreal, Vancouver Opera, New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theater of St Louis, and Nikikai Opera Tokyo. International: RSC, Parco Tokyo, Archa Theatre Prague. Hebbel Theatre Berlin.  Television/Film: In Treatment (HBO), Alone. Dance: Shadowland (Pilobolus). Awards: 2000 EDDY Award; 1996, 2000, 2003, 2009 Drama Desk nominations; 1996 and 2001 Obie for Sustained Excellence; 2008 Helen Hayes Award. 

Karen Perry: (Costume Design) Two River is one of my favorite theatres and I am so happy to return this season with the artist and staff I love collaborating with so much over 12 season in the past and on The Price. Karen’s 13 seasons of shows she has costume designed at TRT has included Musicals, Dramas, Comedies costume designs, last here with Wine In The Wilderness also directed by Brandon Dirden. Other Recent shows Karen designed include: Rosie Is Red, Everyone else is Blue dir Reggie Douglas @ Cap Rep, Kunene & the King dir Ruben S Hudson @ STC, Death on the Niles dir Hana Sharif @ Arena Stage, Karen Perry has long been considered a master in her profession. Within a three-decade career, Karen has built an incredible body of work on Stage and Screen and has garnered a winning reputation as both a tremendous talent and sheer joy to work with. A native New Yorker, Karen Perry began designing for the stage in the 1980’s. Ms. Perry’s earlier film and stage work include: Karen’s films include The Brother from Another Planet by dir John Sayles, Just Looking dir by Jason Alexander, The Gregory Hines Show on CBS, the celebrated Public Theatre hit musical Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk. A Raisin in the Sun dir by Robert O’Hara.  TV costume designs includes NBC’s Saturday Night Live, UPN’s Abby with Sydney Poitier, CBS’s acclaimed original movie One Day In Montgomery: The Rosa Parks Story dir by Julie Dash, and HBO’s Strapped dir by Forrest Whittaker, both of which earned Ms Perry Cable Ace Award nominations. She has designed costumes for Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill (Syracuse Stage), Destiny of Desire Telanovela Musical (Old Globe), Clyde’s (Berkley Rep & Huntington Theatre), Wine in the Wilderness (Two River Theatre), Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical (People’s Light), and Lackawanna Blues (Broadway & Mark Taper Theatre). In addition, Karen worked as personal stylist for many premier artists including the late, great Gregory Hines for 13 years collaborating with Mr. Hines on numerous projects including films Bleeding Heart directed by Mr Hines, The Tic Code dir by Gary Winick, CBS’s The Gregory Hines Show and Showtime’s original film Bojangles: The Bill “Bojangle” Robinson Story. Ms Perry’s theatre design highlights include National Federal Theatre’s Paul Robeson; The Taking of Miss Janie; It Hasn’t Always Been This Way; Three Travelers; Salaam Huey Newton, Salaam; Crumbs for the Table of Joy; A Raisin in the Sun; Dancing on Moonlight; and Breathe, Boom. Her Regional Theatre work includes 6 August Wilson productions:  Gem of the Ocean, The  Piano Lesson, King Hedley II, Radio Golf, Two Trains Running and Seven Guitars. The latter two garnered Ms Perry with both an Audelco Award and The Craig Noel Award of Theatre Excellence.  She is also the recipient of The National Black Theatre Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Costume Design Excellence in American and Black Stage, Film and Television, The “Woodie” Award and an Audelco Award for Signature Theatre’s production of The First Breeze of Summer. Perry has also received a Norton Award, Lucille Lortel Award, LA Ovations Awards, a CDG Award, an Ace Award, a Hewitt Award, and she is an Emmy nominee. Current productions of Ms. Perry’s include Daniel Beaty’s Resurrection dir by Oz Scott, McCarter Theatre’s production of Tarell McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Trilogy, New York Theatre Workshop’s Things of Dry Hours by Naomi Wallace dir Ruben Santiago Hudson, Ebony Repertoire Theatre’s STEW in Los Angeles dir Jade King Carroll, and Arizona Theatre Company’s Intimate Apparel dir by Oz Scott.  

Rui Rita (Lighting Designer) (he/him) Selected Broadway: Skeleton Crew, Velocity of Autumn, Trip to Bountiful, Present Laughter, Dividing the Estate, Enchanted April. Off-Broadway premieres: Paradise Blue; Horton Foote’s Old Friends and Orphans’ Home Cycle (Hewes Award) (Signature); Happiest Song Plays Last (Second Stage); Just Jim Dale (Roundabout); Nightingale, Moonlight and Magnolias (Manhattan Theatre Club); Carpetbagger’s Children, Far East (Lincoln Center Theater). Off-Broadway revivals: The Piano Lesson (Signature), Talley’s Folly (Roundabout), Engaged (TFANA; Obie Award). Recent regional credits: Alley, Asolo, Center Stage, Center Theatre Group, Dallas Theater Center, Ford’s, Guthrie, Huntington, Oregon Shakespeare, The Old Globe, Pasadena Playhouse. designbyrui.com.

Leon Rothenberg For Two River: Present Laughter, Jitney. Select Broadway: The New One, The Waverly Gallery, Boys in the Band, A Doll’s House Part 2, Violet, The Realistic Joneses, The Nance (Tony Award), The Heiress, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Tony nomination). Regional: Arena, ACT, Geffen, Pasadena Playhouse, Huntington, Portland Center Stage, Seattle Rep, La Jolla, Old Globe, Long Wharf, McCarter, Williamstown Theatre Festival, New York Stage and Film, others. Select New York/Off-Broadway: Second Stage, NYCC, MTC, Public Theater, Culture Project, Tectonic. International: Cirque du Soleil. Faculty: CalArts. http://klaxson.net

Bill Sims, Jr. is an internationally respected “Master of the Blues.” With the Heritage Blues Orchestra, he was a 2012 Grammy nominee for “And Still I Rise” in the category of Best Blues Album. His recent theater credits include August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and Jitney at Two River and The Piano Lesson at Signature Theatre. Off-Broadway: Lackawanna Blues (Public Theater, Obie Award for Music, 2001), Seven Guitars, The First Breeze of Summer (both Signature), Things of Dry Hours (NYTW). Other theater: Deep Down (INTAR), Gem of the Ocean (McCarter), Crowns (Intiman), Trick the Devil (Freedom Theatre), Moms and Her Ladies (The Producers Club), Polk County (Berkeley Rep). Mr. Sims was the subject of the documentary An American Love Story (PBS) for which he composed many of the songs for the soundtrack. Other film credits: Lackawanna Blues, New York Stories, Miss Ruby’s House, American Gangster, Cadillac Records. His voice can be heard in many TV and radio commercials. His critically acclaimed 1999 CD release Bill Sims (Warner Bros.) demonstrates his knowledge of the many facets of the Blues. Training: Ohio State University. www.heritagebluesorchestra.com

Thomas Schall has served as fight director on over 70 Broadway shows, among them Six Degrees of Separation, Groundhog Day, Jitney, The Present, The Front Page, The Crucible, Blackbird, War Horse, Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, Death of a Salesman, Venus in Fur, A View from the Bridge. He has worked extensively at Lincoln Center Theater (Disgraced, Blood and Gifts), The Public Theater (Hamlet, King Lear, Mother Courage), MTC (Ruined, Murder Ballad), New York Theatre Workshop (Red Speedo, Othello) and the Met Opera (Nozze di Figaro, Il Trovatore).

Heidi Griffiths has worked for more than 25 years at the Joseph Papp Public Theater in NYC, where she has cast over 200 productions Off-Broadway and at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, including Shakespeare, new plays, and musicals. On Broadway: The Girl From The North Country; The Inheritance; The Iceman Cometh; Sweat; Shuffle Along; The Crucible, Eclipsed; A Delicate Balance; A Raisin in the Sun; Lucky Guy; Chinglish; The Motherf**ker with the Hat; The Merchant of Venice; Hair; Passing Strange; Caroline, or Change; Take Me Out (Tony Award, Best Play 2003); Topdog/Underdog (Pulitzer Prize, 2002); The Wild Party; Bring in ’Da Noise, Bring in ’Da Funk; On the Town; and The Tempest. She also cast the films The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love, MURDER and murder, Saving Face and Ladybird. Radio Golf is her 12th collaboration with Two River Theater.