August Wilson's Two Trains Running gets a UK Revival
August Wilson was an African-American playwright who won a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Fences, echoed the Black experience in the 20th century. August wrote a series of 10 plays known as the Pittsburgh Cycle, each play is set in a different decade, projecting the everyday highs and lows of black people in America.
Two Trains Running is the sixth play in his cycle, set in the Pittsburgh's Hill District during the 1960s. Pittsburgh’s Hill was once a vibrant and thriving community of African-Americans who moved there from the South. We meet his characters facing ‘urban renewal’, economic decline and protests.
The play has received superb reviews for it’s UK production directed by the award-winning Nancy Medina. I AM had the pleasure of interviewing Nancy and two members of the cast, Michael Salami and Anita-Joy Uwajeh.
IAM: What was your reason for choosing August Wilson’s Two Trains Running?
NM: I have wanted to direct an August Wilson play for a very long time. I think him to be one of
the most eloquent and sophisticated playwrights I’ve ever come across. Two Trains
Running in particular, is so very layered and complex, yet presented through the prism of
everyday ordinary life. It is set in a cafe restaurant in Pittsburgh PA, in 1969. For a few
hours we truly get to know seven African American characters facing all the trials and
tribulations of the time, that still feel so present and relevant today. Like today, they face
Issues regarding police brutality, a rigged economic system, housing inequalities, crime, poverty,
trauma, mental illness and race hostilities. They are trying to hold on to community, while
everything around them tries to tear that down.
IAM: How important is it for you to represent the stories of leading black characters?
NM: Frankly, I feel privileged to be able to be in the position to tell any story and to work with
incredible artists to realise these stories. It is of significant importance for me to stage
stories about people of color, as these are the voices that raised me and shaped my
understanding of the world. For too long, we have been told black and brown stories
through a white lens or a white perspective. It is important for me to present nuanced
storytelling, make sure characters are 3D and that audiences can see a truth about
themselves on stage. Our lives matter, our stories need to be preserved and seen. In
regards to specifically black characters, I feel the importance lies in that there is no one
story or voice, we have to experience the breath of range and versatility in a peoples who
have been oppressed, continue to be, yet find the heart and courage to search for joy,
worth and wonder in their lives.
IAM: You have been in the UK for 11 years now, what kind of positive changes have you seen in
the theatrical landscape?
NM: I think I spent half that time trying to figure out what the theatrical landscape actually was
in the UK. I have seen a positive move towards more inclusion in the theatre. The last
three years especially has seen a growth in producing stories by women, artists of color,
working class, LGBTQ and disabled artists. The rush for theatres to all churn out these
stories worries me a bit- I don’t want this to be passing phase. I truly hope there is more
change on the horizon.
IAM: How are you hoping to make your mark?
NM: Making theatre for me is mainly about two things- the artists I work with and audiences.
First I hope when in the rehearsal room I can help create safe and fertile spaces so we can
all push and challenge ourselves to dig deeper and go further within our craft. Secondly, I
truly hope the mark my productions make is that the stories stay with audiences, that they
have genuinely had an enriching experience and felt or learned something.
IAM: Sterling's character represents a generation eager to vocalise and march for their civil rights. Did you discover any parallels between now and then when preparing for this role?
MS: Yes - from rallies to marches, and police brutality to segregation, and people not getting what they are due, and gentrification, all these are still prevalent today.
IAM: Do you and Sterling share any similarities?
MS: Yes we do - Steve Harvey wrote down that there are over 7 billion people in the world, If we divided the world equally, everyone would have 12 acres. Just like Sterling - I believe I should fight for what I am due.
IAM: Risa's character has relatively few lines in the play. How important is her presence in the play?
AJU: Risa’s presence is incredibly important in the play as she is the constant through line that holds the whole play together. Like so many women she is a place of refuge for each of the men in this play. Also although she has the fewest lines it means that what she does say gives the audiences a very focused insight into the kind of person Risa is. Which is a woman of faith, who doesn’t believe in gambling, controls the distribution of sugar and wants to be the only woman Sterling is checking for.
Two Trains Running is currently on it’s last leg of the tour at the Derby Theatre from October 22nd - 27th.
