'Jitney' has been extended through February 18, 2016!
August Wilson (1945-2005), two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (Fences and The Piano Lesson), is one of the most prolific playwrights of the last century, documenting the Black experience—one that is authentically and uniquely American—through theatre.
Jitney (1982) is the eighth play of Wilson's 20th Century Cycle, also referred to as the Pittsburgh Cycle. The Cycle consists of ten plays chronicling Black life in Pittsburgh's Hill District during each decade of the 20th century. Set in the 1970s, Jitney addresses a number of issues including gentrification, the Vietnam War, mass incarceration, and destruction of the African American family.
In the intimacy of the Congo Square Theatre's production (directed by Cheryl Lynn Bruce) you quickly become acquainted with an eclectic cast of characters, unified by their shared daily struggles as working class Black men. Jitney will be playing through Sunday, February 18, 2018. Tickets can be purchased here.
Jitney premiered on Broadway last year, co-produced by singer/songwriter John Legend, winning a 2017 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. In 2015 Denzel Washington, announced that he would be executive producing film adaptations of each of the remaining nine Century Cycle plays for HBO, after directing, co-producing, and starring in Fences (2016).
To learn more about August Wilson's work and legacy:
- New York Times article on the legacy of August Wilson today
- Wilson Century Cycle—August Wilson
- Jitney—August Wilson
- PBS' American Masters—August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand (now streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
- 2016's film adaptation of Wilson's Fences (now streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video)
“There’s no idea in the world that is not contained by black life. I could write forever about the black experience in America.”