Beasley, Dirden & More Star, Leon Directs Huntington Theatre's FENCES 9/11-10/11, Opens 9/16

The Huntington Theatre Company opens its 28th season - a season of American stories - with August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Fences, the sixth chapter of his groundbreaking ten-play cycle about the 20th century African-American experience. Kenny Leon (Radio Golf, Gem of the Ocean, A Raisin in the Sun), acclaimed director and Wilson's final collaborator before his death, returns to the Huntington to helm the production, which stars John Beasley (Two Trains Running, Jitney, "Everwood").

"The Huntington provided August with an artistic home throughout his career," says Artistic Director Peter DuBois. "Fences is one of only two plays from his magnificent opus that we have not yet produced. This fall we take one step closer to completing his cycle with one of his greatest. Kenny has been such an important part of the Huntington's special relationship with August and his work. I am thrilled to welcome him back."

Playwright August Wilson was the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, a Tony Award, an Olivier Award, and eight Drama Critics' Circle Awards for the ten chapters of his groundbreaking decade-by-decade exploration of the heritage and experience of African-Americans in the 20th century. The Huntington played an integral part in Wilson's play development process, producing eight of his ten works before transferring them to New York: Joe Turner's Come and Gone-1910s (1986), The Piano Lesson-1930s (1987), Two Trains Running-1960s (1990), Seven Guitars-1940s (1995), Jitney-1970s (1998), King Hedley II-1980s (2000), Gem of the Ocean-1900s (2004), and Radio Golf-1990s (2006). Wilson died in 2005, just after completing Radio Golf, his final chapter.

Director Kenny Leon was Wilson's final collaborator and has directed all ten of Wilson's plays. His relationship with the Huntington began in 1993 when he helmed From the Mississippi Delta. Other productions for the Huntington include A Raisin in the Sun with Esther Rolle (1995) and Blues for an Alabama Sky (1997) with Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad. For the Huntington and then on Broadway, he directed Gem of the Ocean with Rashad (2004) and Radio Golf (2006). In 2008, he served as Artistic Director of August Wilson's 20th Century at The Kennedy Center, a six-week festival staging readings of the works with sets, costumes, and lighting. Leon is the founding artistic director of True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta and served as associate artistic director of ALLIANCE THEATRE. He directed the 2004 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival and the Emmy Award-nominated television film of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun starring Sean Combs, Rashad, and Audra McDonald.

Fences was a seminal work in Leon's development as a theatre artist. "I saw Fences, and it was the first time I felt like my grandmother's and mother's rhythms were onstage. It was so powerful - I'd never heard them before." Leon is looking forward to revisiting the play. "This will be my fourth time, and it can be hard to direct a play more than once because after a while you feel you've exhausted it, but this hasn't been the case with Fences. It feels like a new play every time. I'm always making new discoveries."

Leon recalls the role the Huntington played in Wilson's career and in their relationship. "I dearly miss August," Leon recalls. "The last time he was healthy was the time we spent in Boston working on Gem of the Ocean. So when I think of August, I think of us walking on Huntington Avenue - starting out for a five minute conversation and talking for two hours."

Fences is the story of Troy Maxson, a former Negro Leagues star who peaked too soon for baseball's integration and instead hit the ceiling of racial prejudice. Working as a garbage collector in 1957 Pittsburgh, Troy is resentful of a world that denied him the opportunities for the national success he feels he deserves. Troy's son Cory, an emerging football star, sees the world through very different eyes than his father, but paralyzed by his bitterness, Troy refuses to support his son's ambitions. Meanwhile, Troy's wife Rose yearns for a true outlet for her love, his son Lyons strives for his father's love and respect, and his brother Gabriel, a mentally-disabled war veteran, offers Troy a different perspective of the world.

The Huntington's season of American stories is the first in the Company's 28-year history comprised entirely of plays by American writers. The plays of the season relate to one another through stories of opportunities lost and found, of intergenerational struggles and successes, and of the most intimate and meaningful relationships. Drawn from some of the best writing the country has to offer, the Huntington will engage its audience in a season-long conversation about issues of race, class, values, and a shared American experience. The African-American experience is explored throughout the season, from the Civil War (A Civil War Christmas), to the 1950s (Fences), to today (Stick Fly).

"This season at the Huntington, we are taking on a range of compelling American writing," says DuBois. "Each production offers us a singular point of view about the American experience, and I'm very excited by the diverse perspectives these artists bring."

Fences plays at Huntington's main stage - the Boston University Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston. The show performs September 11 - October 11, 2009, with an opening set for Wednesday, September 16 at 7pm

Performance schedule:
Evenings: Tues. - Thurs. at 7:30pm; Fri. - Sat. at 8pm; Select Sun. at 7pm
Matinees: Select Wed., Sat., Sun. at 2pm

Tickets are $20-$82.50. Available starting August 20 online at huntingtontheatre.org; by phone at 617 266-0800, or in person at the B.U. Theatre Box Office, 264 Huntington Avenue or the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA Box Office, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End.

$5 senior and military discounts.
$10 Subscriber and B.U. Community discounts.
$25 "35 Below" tickets for patrons 35 years old and younger (valid I.D. required).
$20 back row of the balcony tickets.
$15 student rush seats (available 2 hrs. before curtain time for each performance; valid I.D. required).

John Beasley leads the cast in the role of Troy and makes his Huntington debut. He previously performed the role in The Kennedy Center's August Wilson's 20th Century, at the New American Theatre, and at the John Beasley Theatre, of which he is the founder. Other regional credits include August Wilson's Two Trains Running (Goodman Theatre, dir. Lloyd Richards), Jitney (ALLIANCE THEATRE, dir. Kenny Leon), and Joe Turner's Come and Gone (JBT). He has starred in over 35 films including Rudy and The Apostle and appeared on television for four years on the WB's "Everwood."

Brandon J. Dirden plays the role of Lyons, Troy's son from a previous marriage. On Broadway, he appeared in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival production of Prelude to a Kiss; Off Broadway, he appeared in The First Breeze of Summer (Signature Theatre).

CrystAl Fox returns to the Huntington having previously appeared in Blues for an Alabama Sky in 1997 to play Rose, Troy's wife. Fox's credits include Gem of the Ocean at Seattle Repertory Theatre; A Raisin in the Sun, Comedy of Errors, and The Piano Lesson at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Seven Guitars and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at the ALLIANCE THEATRE; and the film Driving Miss Daisy.

EuGene Lee plays Bobo, Troy's friend and fellow garbage collector. Mr. Lee previously appeared at the Huntington in Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean. His regional credits include August Wilson's 20th Century at The Kennedy Center; August Wilson's Two Trains Running at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre; and Home, Sons, and Fathers of Sons with the Negro Ensemble Theatre, of which he was a member.

Warner Miller plays Cory, Troy and Rose's son. He recently appeared in The Old Globe's premiere of Since Africa. Other credits include August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Syracuse Stage) and The Piano Lesson (Geva Theatre and Indiana Repertory Theatre).

Bill Nunn plays Gabriel, Troy's brother. Mr. Nunn's many credits include A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway, August Wilson's 20th Century at The Kennedy Center, and the Spider-Man films.

The creative team for Fences includes scenic designer Marjorie Bradley Kellogg (Any Given Day, On Borrowed Time, Lucifer's Child, and many more on Broadway); costume designer Mariann Verheyen (many Huntington credits, most recently Present Laughter; Peter Pan on Broadway); lighting designer Ann Wrightson (Blues for an Alabama Sky, A Raisin in the Sun, and Scenes from the Mississippi Delta for the Huntington; the Broadway (Tony Award nomination), London, and national tour productions of August: Osage County); and sound designer Ben Emerson (The Miracle at Naples, What the Butler Saw, and many others for the Huntington; Independent Reviewers of New England Award for The Seafarer for SpeakEasy Stage Company). Composer Dwight C. Andrews (From the Mississippi Delta for the Huntington; six Broadway productions of August Wilson plays) contributes original music. Production stage manager is Leslie Sears; stage manager is Vanessa Coakley.

The Huntington's Grand Patron is Boston University. The 2009-2010 Season Sponsor is J. David Wimberly. Production Co-Sponsors are Linda and Bill McQuillan and Kate and Al Merck.

The Huntington Theatre Company is Boston's largest and most popular theatre company, hosting 64 Tony Award-winning artists, garnering 36 Elliot Norton Awards, and sending ten shows to Broadway since its founding in 1982. In July 2008, Peter DuBois became the Huntington's third artistic leader and works in partnership with longtime Managing Director Michael Maso. In residence at and in partnership with Boston University, the Huntington is renowned for presenting seven outstanding productions each season, created by world-class artists and the most promising emerging talent and reaching an annual audience of over 130,000. The company has premiered plays by Pulitzer Prize, Academy Award, and Tony Award-winning luminaries such as August Wilson and Tom Stoppard, as well as rising local literary stars such as Melinda Lopez and Ronan Noone. The Huntington has transferred more productions to Broadway than any other theatre in Boston, including current Broadway hit and Tony Award-winner Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. In 2004, the Huntington opened the state-of-the-art Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, which includes 370-seat and 200-seat theatres to support the company's new works activities and to complement the company's 890-seat, Broadway-style main stage, the Boston University Theatre. The Huntington is a national leader in the development and support of new plays, producing more than 50 New England, American, or world premieres in its 28-year history. The Huntington's nationally-recognized education programs have served more than 200,000 middle school and high school students in individual and group settings and community programs bring theatre to the Deaf and blind communities, the elderly, and other underserved populations in the Greater Boston area.

RELATED EVENTS

The Huntington's production of Fences plays 34 performances, including 4 preview performances. Related pre- and post-show events are free with ticket purchase to any performance.

Monday, September 14, 7:30pm at Roxbury Community College, Mainstage at the Media Arts Building, 1234 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury
August Wilson's Legacy

Join the Huntington for a free community event at Roxbury Community College celebrating the legacy of August Wilson and looking ahead to an exciting new generation of playwrights. The event will feature a talk with Kenny Leon, director of Fences and Stick Fly, a panel discussion with Boston-area playwrights (including Lydia R. Diamond, author of Stick Fly), and live performances of scenes from both Wilson's and Diamond's work. No reservation necessary.

Sunday, September 20, following the 2pm performance at the Boston University Theatre-
Humanities Forum with Author Larry Tye

Humanities Forums are post-show discussions with a leading local scholar that explore the historical and/or literary context of the play. Literary Associate Charles Haugland leads a discussion with former Boston Globe reporter Larry Tye, author of Satchel: The Life and Times of Satchel Paige, about one of the Negro Baseball League's most famous pitchers. Free with a ticket to any performance.

Thursday, October 1, 10am-
American Sign Language-Interpreted Student Matinee

Student Matinee tickets are available for $12. Study guide and pre-show classroom visit included. Contact Meg Wieder at 617 273-1558 or MWieder@huntingtontheatre.bu.edu for more information.

 

Ongoing-
Post-Show Discussions

New this season, the Huntington offers post-show audience discussions with members of the Artistic Department after all Tuesday-Friday, Saturday matinee, and Sunday matinee performances. Free with a ticket to the performance.

Ongoing-
American Stories Contest: Share your American Story

The Huntington Theatre Company's 2009-2010 Season features seven windows into the American experience by American writers, and is filled with American stories. Join us by sharing your American story and enter to win VIP tickets to each of our opening night performances and post-show cast parties throughout the season. Enter in either category: 18-and-under or General. We'll name a winner from each per show and a Grand Prize winner for the year.

Create a video or write an essay response to the following question - or simply tell us your American story. Send it with your name, address, and phone number to contest@huntingtontheatre.org. All entries will be posted on the Huntington's blog and winners will be featured in our monthly e-newsletter.

In Fences, Troy Maxson played baseball in the Negro Leagues before integration and never realized his dream of becoming a Major League star. Do you have a dream for your life you have yet to achieve? How will you?

For more information, visit www.huntingtontheatre.org.

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