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<\/p>\nBetween 1982 and 2005, August Wilson wrote 10 plays that are now known as his Century Cycle series. Before leaving the Alliance for the Arts, Bill Taylor and Theatre Conspiracy produced six of these plays. Now, they\u2019re collaborating with the Laboratory Theater of Florida for a seventh.<\/p>\n
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Courtesy of Laboratory Theater of Florida<\/p>\n
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Laboratory Theater of Florida <\/p>\n
Wolf (Ty Davis), Hambone (Lemec Bernard), Risa (Sheena Kinney), Sterling (Daniel Kinney), and Memphis (Robert Barner) rehearse scene from ‘Two Trains Running.’ <\/p>\n
\u201cTwo Trains Running\u201d captures a community caught in the gears of urban renewal. While the world outside is loud with the sounds of protest and political shifts, Wilson takes us inside the steam and grit of a Pittsburgh eatery where the stakes are purely personal. It\u2019s a story about the cost of a building, the value of a life\u2019s work, and the question of whether a person can ever truly get a fair shake from a system that keeps moving the finish line.<\/p>\n
Sonya McCarter directs this seventh installment of Wilson\u2019s American Century Cycle.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2019Two Trains Running\u2019 exists in the space between life and death\u2014not only as destinations, but as choices,\u201d observed McCarter. \u201cAugust Wilson sets each character in motion, navigating the pull between old ways and hard truths, justice and the comfort of the status quo, luck and faith, love and rejection. No one in this world stands still. Every decision carries consequences, pushing each character toward growth or stagnation, survival or surrender. The play reminds us that movement is inevitable\u2014but direction is a choice. And in choosing, we discover what it truly means to live.\u201d<\/p>\n
The show opens at the Laboratory Theater of Florida Feb. 20 and runs through March 7.<\/p>\n
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Courtesy of Laboratory Theater of Florida<\/p>\n
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Laboratory Theater of Florida <\/p>\n
The cast of \u201cTwo Trains Running\u201d: Ty Davis, Daniel Kinney, Lemec Bernard, Elvis Mortley, Robert Barner and Sheena Kinney. (Not pictured: Cicero McCarter) <\/p>\n
MORE INFORMATION:<\/p>\n
The Laboratory Theater and Theatre Conspiracy collaborated in December for a successful run of \u201cClown Bar Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo Trains Running\u201d is set in 1969.<\/p>\n
It evinces a \u201cHill District\u201d philosophy (named for the neighborhood in Pittsburgh), a blend of street-smart wisdom, mystical prophecy and the raw pursuit of a paycheck.<\/p>\n
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Courtesy of Alliance for the Arts<\/p>\n
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Alliance for the Arts <\/p>\n
Visions of Justice – the regulars of a Hill District diner debate the price of progress and the power of the past in ‘Two Trains Running.’ <\/p>\n
The play\u2019s central characters are Sterling (Daniel Kinney), a young man fresh out of the penitentiary looking for a win, and Memphis (Robert Barner), the diner\u2019s owner who refuses to let the city buy his soul for a penny less than it\u2019s worth. Between the rhythmic demands of Hambone (Lemec Bernard) and the quiet, scarred resilience of Risa (BreSheena Kinney), the play reveals that the real revolution isn\u2019t happening on the news, it\u2019s happening over a cup of coffee and a game of numbers. It is a sharp, funny, and deeply moving portrait of people who are determined to be seen before their neighborhood disappears.<\/p>\n
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Courtesy of Theatre Conspiracy<\/p>\n
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Theatre Conspiracy <\/p>\n
‘Two Trains Running’ is Director Sonya McCarter’s seventh August Wilson production. <\/p>\n
Joining Director Sonya McCarter on the \u201cTwo Trains\u201d creative team are assistant director Shontae Khaleel White, costume designer Diana Waldier, and stage manager Tiffany Campbell.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo Trains Running\u201d features Robert Barner (Memphis), Elvis Mortley (West), Ty Davis (Wolf), Lemec Bernard (Hambone), Daniel Kinney (Sterling), Sheena Kinney (Risa) and Cicero McCarter (Holloway).<\/p>\n
Performances are at:<\/p>\n
7:30 p.m. on Feb. 20, 21, 26 and 27 and March 5, 6 and 7; and2 p.m. on Feb. 22 and 28 and March 1 and 2.<\/p>\n
Tickets are $37 each or $10 for students with valid student IDs. The Thrifty Thursday night special ticket price is $32 each for adults.<\/p>\n
For tickets, call the box office at 239-291-2905 or visit www.laboratorytheaterflorida.com<\/a>.
The Laboratory Theater of Florida, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is dedicated to the promotion of the performing arts, through live performance, education, community outreach, experimentation, and the development of ensemble work. The company features ensemble productions, produces classic works, takes artistic risks, which both feature and challenge local performers.<\/p>\n
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