AUGUST WILSON’S
RADIO
G LF
VOTE
WILKS
THE FINAL CHAPTER
DIRECTED BY
RON OJ PARSON
OCTOBER 2 - NOVEMBER 2, 2008
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FREE
LECTURE
SERIES
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MONDAYS WITH THE PUBLIC
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Harmond Wilks is poised for greatness. As the first African-American candidate for mayor of
Pittsburgh, Harmond has ambitious plans for his city. Together with his brilliant wife Mame
and his business partner, Roosevelt Hicks, the new Mellon bank vice-president, he promises
change with the slogan, “Hold Me To It.” However, two men stand in their way as a legal
dispute over the house at 1839 Wylie raises questions of how Harmond can reconcile the past
with his promising future. Wilson’s final work completes his Century Cycle of Plays with a
prophetic look at race and politics in the 21st century.
8
2 pm
OCTOBER 6, 7:00 P.M.
O’REILLY THEATER
Helen Wayne Rauh Rehearsal Hall (3rd floor)
COMPLETING THE CYCLE:
Wilson specialists discuss his final play.
For more information see page 2.
This special edition of PUBLICATION is made possible through
the generous support of Sandy and Gene O’Sullivan
P - Preview TGIF - Post-show entertainment in the main lobby
@ - Wednesday Wine Series O - Opening
a - Saturday Brunch Series SF - Sunday Forum Series
15
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ONE MAN’S C E N T U RY
August Wilson
...this final play of the cycle
and of August Wilson's life
once more examines
the question of how
African-Americans
are to regard their past...
April 27, 1945 - October 2, 2005
By Kyle W. Brenton
ugust Wilson’s 20th century begins with a knock at
the door. Citizen Barlow has come north from
Alabama to Pittsburgh in search of a better life, but has
found nothing but discrimination, inequality, and
racism. He is a good man, but the world in which he lives
has nurtured within him a rage, and his rage led him to
theft - he stole a bucket of nails from the mill. An innocent man has died for that crime, and in Gem of the
Ocean (set in 1904; completed in 2004) Citizen Barlow
comes to 1839 Wylie Avenue, the home of Aunt Ester,
for redemption. Aunt Ester, whose memory stretches
back nearly 300 years to the arrival of African slaves on
this continent, is a spiritual healer. It is within her power
to take Citizen to the City of Bones, a ghostly metropolis beneath the Atlantic Ocean, where his soul can be
cleansed of guilt. But that journey could be put in jeopardy if Caesar Wilks, the black lawman who uses his
authority like a cudgel, continues his rampage of evictions in the neighborhood. It may ultimately be beyond
even Aunt Ester’s power to calm Caesar’s rage.
A
Seven years later, the migration of African-Americans
northward continues apace. In Joe Turner’s Come and
Gone (set in 1911; completed in 1988), Seth and
Bertha Holly operate a boarding house that serves as a
temporary home to those who are trying to find a new
beginning. Their oddest tenant is Bynum, a shaman
whose song has the power to bind people to new destinies, and to each other. Into the boarding house wanders Herald Loomis, a man with a dark and violent past
who is in search of his wife, torn from him before he left
the South. When the residents of the house engage in
their Sunday night “juba” ritual – an ecstatic dance with
African roots, led by Bynum – Loomis is overtaken by
the Holy Ghost and experiences a terrifying vision of
the Atlantic transforming into a sea of bones that surge
inexorably toward America.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (set in 1927; completed in
1984) presents a very different vision of AfricanAmerican life. In a Chicago recording studio, a group of
musicians await the arrival of the great blues songstress
Ma Rainey. Ma is a notoriously difficult performer, who
uses her unique talent as leverage to create a comfortable
life for herself. The newest member of her band, Levee, is
a trumpet player who nurtures fire, both for a new kind
of music and a new kind of life. Levee rejects Ma’s accommodations to the racist music industry, and demands
what he sees as his due. The situation, tense from the
beginning, finally erupts into violence as, through Levee,
a new kind of world is born.
Nine years later, back
in Pittsburgh, The
Piano Lesson (set in
1936; completed in
1990; winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama) asks the
vital question: what is to be done with the past? When
the Charles family migrated north, they brought with
them their most prized possession: a piano with the history of their family intricately carved by one of their
ancestors. Berniece keeps the piano in her home, but will
not play it. Her brother, Boy Willie, has a different plan.
He has a chance to buy back the land their family worked
as slaves, but the only way he can get the money is to sell
the piano, which Berniece will never allow. The weight of
the past sits heavily on the entire Charles family, and as
the conflict between the siblings escalates, a ghostly visitation forces Berniece to play the piano once more, in an
act of exorcism.
“Who killed Floyd Barton!” is the question that animates
Seven Guitars (set in 1948; completed in 1996). Floyd
“Schoolboy” Barton is going to be the next big thing. His
hot new song is being played on every radio in the Hill
District, and once he's gotten his guitar out of the pawn
shop, he's headed to Chicago to record a follow-up. But
sometimes life gets in the way of plans - the money he is
owed evaporates and his guitar seems farther away than
ever. When he is forced to turn to theft, he meets an
untimely end at the hands of the unlikeliest of characters:
Hedley, an old man who, in a tuberculosis-induced delirium, mistakes Floyd for a man he believes owed his father
money. Hedley brutally slashes Floyd across the throat,
tragically cutting short a promising life.
Fences (set in 1957; completed in 1987; winner of the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama) contains perhaps Wilson's most
tragic figure: Troy Maxson. Troy was a titan of the Negro
Baseball Leagues, who, after spending time in jail,
couldn't put the pieces of his life back together. Turned
away from the major leagues and with his most productive years behind him, Troy is forced to become a garbage
man to support his family - his loving wife Rose, highschool-aged son Cory, brain damaged brother Gabriel
and Lyons, a grown son from a previous relationship.
Crushed under the weight of his responsibilities, Troy
turns to another woman for comfort, and when she dies
in childbirth, he brings home a daughter who is now left
to Rose to raise. At the same time, Cory is recruited for
college football, but Troy cannot bring himself to allow
Cory to play - a mixture of stubbornness, envy, and fear
leads Troy to sabotage his own son's future.
Urban renewal and the demolishing of the Lower Hill
loom over Two Trains Running (set in 1969; completed
in 1992). The building that houses Memphis Lee's lunch
counter is about to be bought out by the city, but
Memphis refuses to settle for a modest buyout - he wants
$25,000 from the city. Hambone, a mentally damaged
man who haunts the restaurant, obsessively demands a
ham he feels he earned for painting a shop owner's fence,
refusing to settle for a chicken. Is Hambone a symbol of
Memphis Lee's future? Meanwhile Sterling Johnson has
been released from prison, and is torn between two
courses: should he go to the Black Power rally that's about
to begin, or should he seek spiritual peace by visiting
Aunt Ester and getting his soul washed? There are two
trains running every day, but the question Wilson's play
asks is: which one will get you where you're going?
Regular cabs won't travel to the Hill District of the 1970s,
and so the residents turn to each other. Jitney (set in 1977;
first written in 1979, rewritten and expanded in 1996)
dramatizes the lives of men hustling to make a living as jitneys–unofficial, unlicensed taxi cab drivers. When the boss’
son returns from prison, violence threatens to erupt. What
makes this play remarkable is not the plot; Jitney is Wilson
at his most real - the words these men use and the stories
they tell form a true slice of life.
Perhaps the bleakest of all of Wilson's plays is King
Hedley II (set in 1985; completed in 2001). The title
character of King - son of Ruby and Hedley from Seven
Guitars - has been released from prison, and now struggles to make a new life for himself. With his friend Mister
(himself the son of another Seven Guitars character, Red
Carter) King is selling stolen refrigerators, but that is no
foundation for a life. And when Elmore - the one-time
lover of Ruby and perhaps King's true father - arrives,
King begins to learn that success may never have been a
possibility for him at all. And when the news hits that
Aunt Ester has died, all hope seems lost.
Irony abounds in the final play of the cycle, Radio Golf
(set in 1997; completed in 2005). Intricately tied to the
characters of Gem of the Ocean, this final play of the
cycle, and of August Wilson's life, once more examines
the question of how African-Americans are to regard their
past - is it something to be used, something to be cherished, or something best forgotten?
Kyle W. Brenton was the Resident Dramaturg at Pittsburgh
Public Theater from 2002-2006.
COMPLETING THE CYCLE:
Wilson specialists discuss his final play.
Join us as KDKA’s Lynne Hayes-Freeland moderates an exciting panel discussion with artists who have
had a long personal and professional history with August Wilson. Todd Kreidler, dramaturg for the
Broadway production of Radio Golf, will share his intimate experiences with the creation of the script.
Radio Golf director Ron OJ Parson, whose directing credits include a wide range of Wilson work, will
discuss how he approached the play in rehearsal. Finally, theater artist and former city councilman, Sala
Lynne Hayes-Freeland Udin, will delve into the civic issues Wilson raises in this final chapter of the Pittsburgh cycle.
FREE
LECTURE
SERIES
THE RISE AND RISE OF
HARMOND WILKS
By Heather Helinsky
A tragic hero, simply put, is a great man who has a moment of recognition that leads to a great fall. This
definition derives from the origins of theater, as the Greek philosopher Aristotle pointed to the character of Oedipus as a political leader blinded by pride that causes his public downfall. Harmond Wilks,
the protagonist of August Wilson’s final play, is on the verge of becoming a great man, rising to the
heights of celebrity as the first African-American candidate for mayor of Pittsburgh.
VOTE
WILKS
Harmond sees his campaign as highly symbolic, so he sets his headquarters in the Hill District instead
of his wife’s suggestion of Shadyside. However, Harmond makes a power play using his political platform of urban redevelopment to benefit his father’s real estate business. With old college chum
Roosevelt Hicks as his advisor, materialistic and self-serving values guide their decisions instead of listening to the residents of the community.
Wilson’s earlier plays are a blueprint for the attitudes that give rise to Harmond’s elitism. In the 1920’s
play Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, the boarding house owner Seth Holly adamantly distances himself
genealogically, geographically, and economically from the poor Southern blacks who migrated to
Pittsburgh. In the mythology of Wilson’s cycle, Harmond is the grandson of Caesar Wilks from Gem
of the Ocean, who angers Aunt Ester’s household with his constant appeal to the “law” established by
the dominant white culture. Caesar Wilks violently upholds the “law,” despite what others in his community determine is morally right or wrong.
When Harmond’s professional career faces a crisis, the word “law” is brought into conflict with the concept of what is “right.” Despite Harmond’s awareness of a real estate law, he allows his celebratory emotions to cloud his judgment as he declares “rightly or wrongly, we’re going to tear down this house.”
This arrogance sets him down a path where he is blinded by his ambition until a final moment of recognition, too late to reverse the consequences of his actions.
While Oedipus is predestined by the gods to fulfill his tragic fate, Wilson gives Harmond free will.
Harmond is offered a choice to renew his commitment to his community. In an interview given by
August Wilson three months before his death, Wilson explains why his ending offers an optimistic hope
for the future. “Put that expertise that we’ve gained to some use,” Wilson challenges, “….you can still
live the life you want to; you can still be contributing to where you came from. If you don’t recognize
that you have a duty and a responsibility, then obviously you won’t do that. Some people don’t feel that
responsibility, but I do, so I thought I would express that in the work. In the 21st century we can go
forward together. That was my idea behind the play.”
WHY “RADIO GOLF”?
By Heather Helinsky
Did you know?
For the last play of his cycle, August Wilson took some advice from his then
seven year old daughter, Azula Carmen. “She asked, ‘Daddy, what’s the title?’”
Wilson recalled in an interview with USA Today. “I said I didn’t have one, and
she said, ‘Call it Secrets of the Radio Sisters.’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t have
any radio sisters in there. It’s about a guy and he has a radio station, and they’re
playing golf.’ So she said, ‘Call it Radio Golf.’ And I said, ‘That’s a good idea.’
Then she said, ‘I’ll write Secrets of the Radio Sisters.’”
While the concept of a radio golf program might sound odd for a play set in the
1990s, historically, the sport of golf has always used the current media not only
to broadcast tournaments, but to intrigue listeners with tips for their own game.
Leading amateur golfer Charles E. “Chick” Evans had a radio program called
“Golf Secrets” in the 1920s. Joe Novak, a golf course architect, broadcast radio
golf lessons on KGO in Oakland, California. In 1938 radio station WBRY in
Waterbury, Connecticut had a sustaining series of golf instruction called “The
Golf Secrets of the Air.” Even golf greats Sam Sneed and Bryon Nelson had their
own radio programs broadcast as late as 1950.
Just as baseball is a central metaphor in Fences, Wilson used golf for his treatise
on the black middle class. Although Wilson was not a golfer, he was struck by
a comment made by an African-American guest at a fundraiser who admitted
“I carry golf clubs in the trunk of my car” to be eternally vigilant for his next
encounter with a client. For Wilson, it raised the question: “Do you have to
adopt the games of the dominant culture to achieve success?”
LEARN MORE:
Todd Kreidler will be one of
our guest speakers for the
free Mondays With The Public
series on Monday, Oct. 6th
at 7pm.
As Wilson continued to develop the play around this central question, he struck
a vein of a longer history in the black middle class community. Despite the Jim
Crow policies that would prevent them from participating professionally,
African-Americans engaged in tournaments as early as the 1890s. In the
Roaring Twenties, caddies found teaching golf an alternative to achieve “status,”
while African-American newspapers covered golf in their columns to educate
blacks about the game. Because of the discrimination in white country clubs,
members of the black middle class on the East Coast established their own facilities to host social activities as they rose as business and civic leaders.
When August Wilson’s dramaturg, Todd Kreidler, was asked if the play was an
indictment of golf, he quickly responded, “Absolutely not. But the game is used
metaphorically. Do you have to give up everything you are to play this game, to
play in society? It doesn’t mean you can’t claim the sport as your own, but does
it cost you anything?”
Heather Helinsky is the Resident Dramaturg for Pittsburgh Public Theater.
Dr. George Grant, the first black graduate of Harvardʼs dental school, designed
a new patent for the golf tee in 1899.
Officially, the first world patent was
given to two Scots in 1889, William
Bloxsom & Arthur Douglas. However,
Dr. Grantʼs patent improved the design
with a tubular rubber head and wooden
spike, but since Grant did not actively
promote his design, it went unnoticed by
the golfing public.
1900s
DECADES OF D
WILSON AT
By Ted Pappas
Producing Artistic Director
It has been a twenty-year theatrical journey, involving 88 actors, 44 designers, 22 stage managers, 5 veteran directors, 3 artistic directors, hundreds
of technicians and craftspeople, well over 200,000 audience members, and
GEM OF THE OCEAN
one genius. On October 2,
Lizan Mitchell and Kim Staunton in Gem of the Ocean at The Public in 2006.
Pittsburgh Public Theater will
unveil a new production of Radio
1910s
Golf, the final chapter of August
Wilson’s magnificent 10-play cycle,
a chronicle of the African-American
experience encompassing the entire
20th century.
Joe Seneca as Sizwe Bansi at
Pittsburgh Public Theater.
As one of a handful of theaters in
the world to have completed full
productions of all ten plays, The Public has always enjoyed a unique
Photo: Ric Evans
JOE TURNER’S
COME AND GONE
Roscoe Lee Brown and Larry John Meyers in The Public's 1989 production.
and very intimate relationship with Wilson. Indeed, according to
Wilson, his foray into playwriting was inspired by attending The
Public’s production of Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Bansi Is Dead during our
second season in 1976-77. The first Public production of an August
Wilson play was Fences in 1989, featuring the late John Henry
Redwood, Tony Award-winner Trazana Beverly, and a young actor
1920s
named Montae Russell. Wilson’s definitive
two-act version of Jitney had its premiere
here in 1996. And there was no better way
to inaugurate our new Downtown home at
the O’Reilly Theater than to launch the
world premiere of King Hedley II in
December 1999. During our two decades
of Wilson productions, the great man himself could often be spotted in our rehearsal
Photo: Ric Evans
MA RAINEY'S
BLACK BOTTOM
hall, outside the theater with a cigarette, a Wilson advises director Marion Isaac
note pad and a pencil, and in the auditori- McClinton during rehearsals for Jitney.
um for his many sold-out opening nights.
Sandra Reaves-Phillips and Montae Russell in The Public's 1992 production.
1930s
SEVEN
GUITARS
Leland Gantt in The Public's 1997 production.
Photo: Richard Anderson
Kim Staunton in The Public's 2003 production.
Photo: Suellen Fitzsimmons
THE PIANO
LESSON
1940s
1990s
DRAMA
T THE PUBLIC
If there was a Mount Rushmore of
American Dramatists, the faces
looking out over the landscape
would probably be those of
Eugene
O’Neill,
RADIO GOLF
Tennessee
Williams, Arthur Miller, and
August Wilson.
Performances of Radio Golf at The Public begin October 2nd, 2008.
And yet, only
Wilson was willing and able to creThe cast and production team of The Public
production of Fences in 1989.
1980s
ate a series of works so interconnected, so epic in scope, that
viewed together, they are virtually a history of our great and complicated nation. He wrote of the slave trade, the Blues, Negro
League Baseball, the great migration from South to North after
the Civil War, urban redevelopment, and contemporary politics.
He also wrote of families, particularly fathers and sons. Only
KING
HEDLEY II
Shakespeare, with his history plays, has dared to bring a country’s
legacy to life on the stage in such an audacious and electrifying
Photo: Ric Evans
fashion. But, like Shakespeare’s works, it is not the history that
thrills, it is the sheer theatrics, the poetic language, and the characters that move us and make us want
more, and more, and even more.
Tony Todd and Russell Andrews in The Public's 1999 world premiere
production.
1970s
Of the 10 plays, Wilson set nine of
them
in
Pittsburgh.
his
hometown
of
So, it is fitting that
Pittsburgh Public Theater closely partnered with the dramatist, season after
season, in bringing
these works to
life. This grand adventure, begun by
Wilson with Bill Gardner as he receives
Producing Director William Gardner, the key to the City of Pittsburgh from
Mayor Sophie Masloff.
Photo: Suellen Fitzsimmons
continued by Artistic Director Edward
Gilbert, and enhanced and supported by the artists, staff, and members
of the Board of Trustees of the Public, as well as the Pittsburgh corporate
and foundation community, and the thousands of subscribers, past and
JITNEY
present, is now complete. But the power, resonance, and beauty of these
plays are everlasting.
Anthony Chisholm in The Public's 1996 production.
1950s
TWO TRAINS
RUNNING
Angel Brown and Montae Russell in The Public's 1994 production.
Photo: Ric Evans
John Henry Redwood in The Public's 1989 production.
Photo: Ric Evans
FENCES
1960s
Coming Home: AN INTERVIEW WITH ACTOR Montae Russell
Actor Montae Russell has had
a highly successful career not
only in theater, but in television and film as well. He’s had
a long relationship with
August Wilson’s plays, performing at many major theaters across the country.
However, Montae’s relationship to August Wilson was also
a personal one, hand-picked
by Wilson from Montae’s early
days of performing at the old
Montae Russell as Caesar Wilks in The Public’s 2006
Allegheny Repertory Theatre
production of Gem of the Ocean.
and at Pittsburgh Public
Theater. In this interview, resident dramaturg Heather Helinsky discusses with Montae why
he has returned to be a part of the Pittsburgh premiere of the final play of the Wilson cycle,
Radio Golf.
HH: First, what does it mean to you to be back at Pittsburgh Public Theater and have
your family see you perform?
MONTAE: It’s a homecoming for me theatrically and artistically, but it also allows my
family and friends who I grew up with to come and see my work live and in person. I’ve
done Wilson plays all over America, and the plays resonate differently on the ears of people from Pittsburgh. It just has a different feel to it. Some of the people who are mentioned in August Wilson’s plays are still alive, some of the businesses mentioned are still
in existence, the streets and boulevards mentioned in the plays are still around, so it
makes it feel like real life. And so when a character mentions that they just came from a
certain street or a certain part of town, you can hear the audience chuckle when they
think of the route that the character may have taken to get to the Hill District location
that the play is set in. I’ve worked at a lot of regional theaters, but coming home is my
favorite place to work.
HH: In 1989, you played Cory in Fences for Pittsburgh Public Theater. What do you
recall most from your experience back then?
MONTAE: That Wilson plays are the hottest ticket in town. Wilson plays in Pittsburgh
bring an excitement, there’s a buzz—-“Have you seen it?”—-“How many times have you
seen it?”—-“You better make sure you don’t miss it.” Your family and friends can come and
see the play multiple times and get something different each time. They learn things about
you, they learn things about themselves, they learn things from the show itself, and it also
gives them a greater appreciation for theater.
being. He’s the type that has a creative mind and people misinterpret him because they’re
not looking at things from the same unique perspective that he is. In both Radio Golf
and Two Trains Running, most of the things he says makes perfect sense, but he went
about it in a roundabout way. In Radio Golf, Sterling feels the same in terms of his
philosophies, but they’ve been matured. He’s been deepened by life’s experiences. So,
that kind of feels like me as a person—-I’m the same, just an older version, like everybody else, really.
HH: You were highly involved this past spring in the Kennedy Center’s staged readings
of the August Wilson cycle. What was that experience like?
MONTAE: It’s something I’ll never forget. It was this incredible journey that we all took
together. In retrospect you realize—wow, we just did something that was never done
before. That’s what it felt like—-history-making.
HH: I read that when you got to Radio Golf everyone thrust their scripts into the air as
a tribute to Mr. Wilson.
MONTAE: Well, after every show we thrust our scripts in the air as part of the curtain
call. But at the very last performance of Radio Golf, we did a call-and-response chant of
all 10 of the plays in the cycle. It felt so unplanned, so spontaneous, so just the right
thing to do, to shout out these names and give Mr. Wilson these praises, one last time.
HH: In your online coverage of the Kennedy Center readings you say that: “August
Wilson loved a people so deeply that he dedicated 25 years of his life to tell a century’s
worth of their story. It begs the questions: What are you living for? What are you dedicated in doing? What mission is worth 20 years of your hard work, blood, sweat, &
“No matter what I do I try to bring my best,
but at the same time I owe Mr. Wilson a huge
debt of gratitude, so, whenever I’m hired to do
one of his plays, I give it my all.”
tears?” Since you yourself have spent so much of your life acting in Wilson’s plays, do
you mind if I ask you the same question?
MONTAE: “A”: Because the writing is so challenging. None of the characters, no
matter how big or small, are simple or easy to play. They all require you to do your
best work because Mr. Wilson put his best work in the writing. And “B”: The challenge for me is not just the language and the poetry but the deep emotions that these
characters express. They all have these incredible experiences, be it good or bad, and
so as an actor, you really have to do your work to do this material well.
MONTAE: The same commitment I have with Wilson, I put in all my work. I’ve done
many plays, TV/film, and projects that have nothing to do with Wilson. I’m always
going to bring my A-game whenever I’m hired to do a job. But in terms of dedication,
I’ve dedicated my life to my craft, and along the way Mr. Wilson has been there for me.
He’s the one that gave the green light. I’ve always wanted to be an actor, but Mr. Wilson
was the one who told me, “Yes, you can do this. I’m on the other side looking at how
professionals in New York work and I’m looking at you and you can do this on the same
level that they are doing it.” To hear that from somebody who was in the business and
cared enough about me to say: “Go forth.” I mean, I owe him a lot for that. He also
wrote my letter of recommendation that got me into Rutgers. He didn’t have to do that.
He was a busy man. He had already been nominated for awards; he didn’t have to take
the time to reach back. And artistically, he was there for both me and so many others
because of what he wrote, allowing us to delve into these wonderful stories and characters. No matter what I do I try to bring my best, but at the same time I owe Mr. Wilson
a huge debt of gratitude, so, whenever I’m hired to do one of his plays, I give it my all.
HH: Sterling Johnson is a
character that appears both
in Two Trains Running
(Pittsburgh Public Theater,
1994) and Radio Golf. What
excites you about playing this
character again?
In my personal life, I’m committed to helping people as much as I can. My wife is an elementary school teacher in South Central LA, and at her school I started a group called
Parent to Parent, which is an academic support group in which parents help each other in
various ways to help raise their children’s grade. I recently finished a season of coaching basketball in a South LA basketball league, and in December, I’ll be volunteering to teach acting and film making classes at my son’s new charter school. Overall, I try to do my best to
be of service to those in the inner city of Los Angeles.
MONTAE: Of all the roles of
Wilson’s that I have played, he
is my favorite. I’m super excited to take him on again. I love
his wit, I love his sense of
humor, I love his toughness, I
love his passion, I love his
fighting spirit, I love his ability
to take on battles that other
people can’t fight. He’s very
heroic in a lot of ways. He’s an
incredibly intelligent human
HH: Oh, one more question—-since Radio Golf coincides with the beginning of Steelers
season, what is your advice for Steelers fans in regards to coming to see this show?
HH: Some actors make their careers by doing Shakespeare, but you have made your career
by constantly returning to August Wilson’s plays. What is it about Wilson’s work that has
compelled you to return to it again and again?
Montae Russell as Sterling Johnson in The Public’s
1994 production of Two Trains Running.
MONTAE: (Laughs). Tell them to look for my Steelers tattoo on my left forearm. Even
when I’m working on television in LA, they’ve never made me cover it up. So look at my
left forearm to see how I express my love for my team even when I live 3,000 miles away
from Pittsburgh. And keep me posted on the scores because I’m going to need to know
the scores during the Sunday shows! If the fans in Pittsburgh can keep me posted on the
scores, I’ll be very happy.
HH: Thank you, Montae. I’m really looking forward to your return to Pittsburgh
Public Theater.
The Cast of Radio Golf
Tyla Abercrumbie
Mame Wilks
Morocco Omari
Harmond Wilks
E. Milton Wheeler
Roosevelt Hicks
Montae Russell
Sterling Johnson
Alfred H. Wilson
Elder Joseph Barlow
Public Profile: New Trustee Marcy Metelsky
Instead of becoming the classical pianist her
mother had envisioned, Marcy Metelsky chose
to pursue a career in technology. However, she
moonlights as a patron of the arts and recently
joined Pittsburgh Public Theater’s board of
trustees. As a longtime Public supporter,
Metelsky is frequently seen at The O’Reilly for
Opening Nights, behind-the-scenes events,
and now board meetings. You may likely cross
paths with her at theaters and arts events
around the city.
The oldest of three children, Metelsky grew up
in the steel town of Ambridge. She inherited
her father’s strong work ethic and her mother’s
love of cultural arts.
“Mom was very well-versed in the Pittsburgh theater scene,” she says. “She and my aunt
would make seasonal pilgrimages into the city for the Civic Light Opera, and shows at
the Nixon and Playhouse Theaters. She also taught us to consult George Anderson’s
Triangle Tattler column so we knew what was going on.”
Metelsky’s passion for theater blossomed in the 1980s when she became a fan of Helena
Ruoti and David Butler. “They were my two favorite emerging actors,” she recalls.
“David and Helena were staples in the Pittsburgh theater community. My friends and I
went to anything they were in.” She is excited that Ruoti will return to The Public to
star in The Lady with All the Answers.
In 1991, her fascination with playwright David Mamet drew her to Pittsburgh Public
Theater. “I attended a few Mamet plays in Oakland,” she says. “When I heard The
Public was doing Speed-the-Plow, I thought I was ready to graduate to the ‘big time.’
I became a subscriber the following season.”
Soon after, Metelsky saw a play that became one of her all-time favorites. “Mad Forest
is the perfect example of the Public Theater surprising you. It was set in Romania and
was political, avant-garde, and historical,” Metelsky recalls. “On the way to my seat, ushers led me through an unfinished space—a nod to the ‘mad’ theme and a very edgy experience. The play is by Caryl Churchill, one of the world’s finest playwrights. I really
enjoyed The Public’s recent production of her play, A Number. Once again, it was something different, something you might not expect.”
Metelsky is equally passionate about raising funds for The Public. “Because we are a producing theater company, we need more people and corporations to help nurture the production process,” she states. “Being a donor is humbling. You can play what I think is a
small role—though the company treats it as a large role—in helping to produce great
theater,” she adds. “Donors at every level should all see themselves as co-producers.”
“The Public has a long history of community involvement,” she continues.
“Sponsorship gives corporations the ability to participate in the community, and interact with segments of the community they have no other way to reach. It is the perfect
way to unite different constituents, bring them together, and create a common thread.”
Metelsky is one of three founding members of a private consulting company, Agile
Associates, with clients around the country. Frequent business trips to New York City
and Washington, D.C. have allowed her to enjoy a wide variety of productions. Routine
travel, coupled with friendships rooted in theater, have provided access to many unique
experiences over the years.
“The Public introduced me to other Pittsburghers who were big theater fans. They connected me with theater happening in other places,” says Metelsky. “As a result, I attended the Tony Awards in 1991 and continued to do so for 10 years. I experienced a whole
new level of theater; interestingly, I had seen many of these Broadway actors onstage at
Pittsburgh Public Theater.”
While in Washington, D.C. this past spring, Metelsky attended staged readings of
August Wilson’s 10-play cycle at The Kennedy Center. She is intensely passionate about
this legendary playwright. “I am interested in family stories, and I think that’s why I am
drawn to August Wilson’s work,” she says. “When I see his plays, I am reminded of how
profound our family ties are. I realize how deeply emotions run in my immediate and
extended families.”
“I appreciate his plays and the depth of the characters even more as I get older,” Metelsky
adds. “August developed the characters in a uniquely insightful way, digging into complex emotions and dysfunctions, things we’ve all seen or experienced.”
Metelsky is looking forward to the completion of August Wilson’s 10-play cycle with the
production of Radio Golf. “The Public will continue to be the conduit for the August
Wilson tradition—everything that he has brought to theater through his storytelling,”
she says. “We can continue to tell the stories in the style that he would want, which I
expect is hard to do now that he is gone. We were very fortunate that he had been here
throughout most of our productions.”
As a trustee, Metelsky hopes to help inspire new audiences. “My line will be ‘come to
the theater, even if it’s on me,’” she says with great enthusiasm. “You must see a performance. You cannot live in the city or suburbs of Pittsburgh and say you have not been
here. The Public can be yours!”
EDUCATION EVENTS & CLASSES
Open Stage Student Matinees
Wednesday morning matinees specifically geared to school groups.
Radio Golf
Wed., October 8
11:00 am
Metamorphoses
Wed., January 21
12:00 pm
The World Goes ’Round
Wed., March 11
11:30 am
A Moon for the Misbegotten Wed., April 22
11:30 am
Post-show TGIF Cabarets in the Lobby
Stay and have a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and listen to some of Pittsburgh’s
best musical acts.
Fri., October 3
Fri., March 6
Fri., November 14
Fri., April 17
Fri., January 16
Fri., May 29
Mondays With The Public Lecture Series – 7:00 pm
Lectures/discussions relating to our season of shows.
Mon., October 6
Mon., April 20
Mon., January 26
Mon., June 8
Mon., March 9
Public Exposure New Play Reading Series – 7:00 pm
Readings of exciting new American plays.
Mon., November 17
Mon., February 16
Mon., March 30
Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest
Preliminary Round
March 16-20, 2009
Showcase of Finalists Mon., March 23 7:00 pm
Sunday Matinee Post-show Audience Talkbacks
Sun., October 19
Sun., March 22
Sun., November 30
Sun., May 3
Sun., February 1
Sun., June 14
Call the Education Department for details at 412-316-8200, ext. 715,
or get more information online at ppt.org
FALL CLASSES FOR ADULTS
Acting Workshop
September 22 – November 10
A lively exploration of the acting process in which students study character
development, voice and body work, and text analysis in a supportive, professional environment. No previous experience necessary. $275
Mondays, 6:30-8:30 pm
Instructor: Lisa Ann Goldsmith
Playwriting Workshop
September 29 – November 17
Students will work with the major components of writing for the stage,
including dramatic action, character and dialogue. Exercises designed to
familiarize students with the tools available to the playwright will be
assigned each week. Readings of exercises and works in progress will take
place on a weekly basis. For beginning playwrights, the final project will be
the completion of several drafts of a ten-minute play. Advanced students
will outline and begin work on one-act and full-length plays. $275
Mondays, 6:30-8:30 pm
Instructor: Julie Tosh
Pittsburgh Public Theater’s education and outreach programs are generously
supported by BNY Mellon Charitable Foundation.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
Historic!
Juicy!
Gorgeous!
Hot!
Thrilling!
New!
i
SEE ALL SIX
SHOWS FOR AS
i
LITTLE AS $105!
•
•
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Flexible and easy ticket exchange
15% savings on Cultural District dining
Guaranteed parking at Theater Square
Great seats
Great actors
Great shows
DON’T MISS ONE MOMENT
OF OUR DAZZLING NEW SEASON
412.316.1600
OR ORDER ONLINE PPT.ORG
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL
Pittsburgh Public Theater thanks these Corporate Partners for their production and
education program support during our 2007-2008 Season
Alcoa Foundation
American Eagle Outfitters
Amsco, Inc., a subsidiary of ESB Bank
Bayer USA Foundation
Behar-Fingal, Inc.
Bridges & Company, Inc.
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, PC
Burns, White & Hickton, LLC, Attorneys at Law
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania
CONSOL Energy Inc.
Dick's Sporting Goods
Dominion Foundation
Federated Investors, Inc.
Giant Eagle, Inc.
Giant Eagle Foundation
H. J. Heinz Company Foundation
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
Hilb, Rogal, & Hobbs
The Hillman Foundation
Huntington National Bank
Jones Day
Levin Furniture
MARC
MEDRAD, Inc.
NexTier Bank
Oregon Metallurgical Corporation,
an Allegheny Technologies Subsidiary
Oxford Development Company
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
PNC Foundation
PPG Industries Foundation
Private Wealth Advisors, Inc
Reed Smith, LLP
Rycon Construction, Inc.
Frank E. Rath - Spang & Company
Charitable Trust
Starbucks Coffee Company
The Techs
Tower Engineering
UPMC
WTW Architects
For more information on Corporate Sponsorship, please contact Gerri Weiss, 412-316-8200 x 706.
RUOTI
ANN LANDERS
HELENA
IS
IN
DAVID RAMBO’S
COMING
NEXT!
November 13 – December 14, 2008
DIRECTED BY TED PAPPAS
For Ann Landers, no topic was taboo. If you
needed blunt advice, she was the one to ask.
But who could she turn to when life threw
her a curve? Helena Ruoti dishes the dirt as
the legendary newspaper columnist in this
one-woman show that's as honest and
humorous as the lady herself.
CALL 412.316.1600
ORDER ONLINE PPT.ORG