August Wilson's Jitney

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

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Cast Size

1w, 8m
Duration

More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
Target Audience

Adult

Accolades

Winner! 2017 Tony Award for Best Play Revival
Winner! New York Drama Critics Award for Best New Play
Winner! Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off Broadway Play
August Wilson is the recipient of the 1986 Whiting Award for Drama.

Details

Summary

In the Hill District of Pittsburgh in 1970, a group of Black men struggle to make a living as drivers for a makeshift taxi company. Owner Jim Becker’s son, Clarence, returns from prison just as the cab company faces a critical juncture. Deep animosities and long-held grudges come to the surface, jeopardizing the prospects for the drivers, who include alcoholic Fielding, gossipy, comical Turnbo, and earnest, decent Youngblood.

History

Jitney premiered at the Allegheny Repertory Theatre in 1982. Thirty-five years later, on 19 January 2017, the play made its Broadway debut at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, the Broadway production featured Harvy Blanks, Anthony Chisholm, Brandon J. Dirden, André Holland, Carra Patterson, Michael Potts, Keith Randolph Smith, Ray Anthony Thomas and John Douglas Thompson.

Cast Attributes

Role(s) for Black Actor(s)

Keywords

Performing Groups

BECKER – Well-respected man who runs the jitney station. In his 60s.
TURNBO – Jitney driver who is always interested in the business of others.
YOUNGBLOOD – Jitney driver and Vietnam veteran. Mid-to-late 20s.
FIELDING – Jitney driver and former tailor, has a dependency on alcohol.
DOUB – Longtime jitney driver and a Korean War veteran.
SHEALY – Numbers taker who often uses the jitney station as his base.
BOOSTER – Becker’s son; recently released from prison. In his early 40s.
RENA – Youngblood’s girlfriend and mother of their young son.
PHILMORE – Local hotel doorman, a reoccurring jitney passenger.

Time Period 1970s
Setting Early fall, 1977. A gypsy cab station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“Explosive... crackles with theatrical energy.” – New York Daily News

“Comic, soulful and immensely moving.” – Time Out New York

“Could be described as just a lot of men sitting around talking. But the talk has such varied range and musicality, and it is rendered with such stylish detail, that a complete urban symphony emerges... Drivers return from jobs with stories that summon an entire ethos... Throughly engrossing, Jitney holds us in charmed captivity.” – New York Times

“A transport of delight! So vividly written... it keeps you steadily amused, concerned and moved.” – New York Magazine

Videos

Scene 1 from Court Theatre's Jitney
Scene 2 from Court Theatre's Jitney
Scenes from South Coast Repertory's Jitney

Photos

Image: 2017 Manhattan Theatre Club Production (Joan Marcus)

Image: 2017 Manhattan Theatre Club Production (Joan Marcus)

Licensing & Materials

Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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Ticketing

Authors

August Wilson

August Wilson (April 27, 1945 - October 2, 2005) authored Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Fences, Two Trains Running, Jitney, King Hedley II and Radio Golf. These works explore the heritage and experienc ...

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August Wilson's Jitney