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Jitney (play)
Encyclopedia
Jitney is a play in two acts by August Wilson
. The eighth in The Pittsburgh Cycle, this play is set in a worn-down gypsy cab station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, in early autumn 1977.
, at the Crossroads Theater in New Jersey in spring 1997, directed by Walter Dallas, and at the Huntington Theatre, Boston, in the fall 1998, again directed by McClinton.
Jitney opened off-Broadway
at the Second Stage Theatre
on April 25, 2000 and closed on July 2, 2000. Directed by Marion McClinton the cast featured Anthony Chisholm
(Fielding), Paul Butler (Becker) and Carl Lumbly (Booster). Jitney was first written in 1979 and set in 1977; it was rewritten and expanded in 2000.
The play premiered in London at the National Theatre
, Lyttelton Theatre, from October 16, 2001 through November 21, 2001, directed by McClinton.
The play has been performed in regional theatre, for example at the Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. in 2001, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver, Colorado in 2002, Ford's Theatre
, Washington, D.C. in 2007, and the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. in 2008.
August Wilson
August Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama...
. The eighth in The Pittsburgh Cycle, this play is set in a worn-down gypsy cab station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, in early autumn 1977.
Productions
Jitney was first produced at the Allegheny Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1982, and next at the Public Theater, Pittsburgh, in 1996 with direction by Marion McClintonMarion McClinton
Marion McClinton is a theatre director and playwright. He was nominated for the Tony Award for King Hedley II. He won the 2000 Vivian Robinson Audelco Black Theatre Awards, Director/Dramatic Production and the 1999–2000 Obie Awards, Direction, for Jitney, and was nominated for the Drama Desk...
, at the Crossroads Theater in New Jersey in spring 1997, directed by Walter Dallas, and at the Huntington Theatre, Boston, in the fall 1998, again directed by McClinton.
Jitney opened off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
at the Second Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theatre is an award-winning contemporary Off-Broadway theater company.-Mission:The theatre's mission is to give new life to contemporary American plays and to produce the world premiers of new plays by both established and emerging playwrights...
on April 25, 2000 and closed on July 2, 2000. Directed by Marion McClinton the cast featured Anthony Chisholm
Anthony Chisholm
Anthony Chisholm , is an American actor.He is a Tony Award Nominee . He also performed on Broadway in August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean in the role of "Solly Two Kings", and Two Trains Running in the role of Wolf...
(Fielding), Paul Butler (Becker) and Carl Lumbly (Booster). Jitney was first written in 1979 and set in 1977; it was rewritten and expanded in 2000.
The play premiered in London at the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, Lyttelton Theatre, from October 16, 2001 through November 21, 2001, directed by McClinton.
The play has been performed in regional theatre, for example at the Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. in 2001, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver, Colorado in 2002, Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s. It is also the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865...
, Washington, D.C. in 2007, and the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. in 2008.
Characters
- Sheally
- Becker
- Fielding
- Philmore
- Turnbo
- Doub
- YoungBlood/Darnell
- Booster
- Rena
Synopsis
Regular cabs will not travel to the Pittsburgh Hill District of the 1970s, and so the residents turn to each other. Jitney dramatizes the lives of men hustling to make a living as jitneys—unofficial, unlicensed taxi cab drivers. When the boss Becker's 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.Awards and nominations
- 2001 Outer Critics Circle AwardOuter Critics Circle AwardThe Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play (WINNER) - 2002 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play