August Wilson's Jitney Cast and Creative Announcement

THE OLD GLOBE Announces the CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
for a Masterpiece by a Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Winner,
AUGUST WILSON’S JITNEY,
Which Won the 2017 TONY AWARD for Best Revival of a Play,
Directed by Tony Award Winner RUBEN SANTIAGO-HUDSON

Performances Run JANUARY 18 – FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Just Added!: BARRY EDELSTEIN IN CONVERSATION WITH
RUBEN SANTIAGO-HUDSON, supported by the Fuson Family, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15 at 7:00 P.M.

PHOTO EDITORS:
Publicity photos of the August Wilson’s Jitney are available by clicking here.

SAN DIEGO (December 17, 2019)—The Old Globe today announced the complete cast and creative team for August Wilson’s Jitney, directed by one of Wilson’s foremost interpreters, Ruben Santiago-Hudson (directed Jitney on Broadway, performed in Gem of the Ocean and Seven Guitars). The American master and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson (the American Century Cycle of 10 plays) had a close relationship with The Old Globe, where three of his plays premiered. This production of Jitney is produced by Erik Falkenstein and Ron Simons in association with Manhattan Theatre Club. The 2017 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Play will run January 18 – February 23, 2020 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Previews run January 18–22. Opening night is Thursday, January 23 at 8:00 p.m. Single tickets start at $30.00 and can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office.

A jitney is an unlicensed taxicab. Five tireless drivers in Pittsburgh’s Hill District fight for love, survival, and respect as the powers-that-be threaten to close down their garage in the name of neighborhood improvement. The Los Angeles Times recently proclaimed it a Critic’s Choice, saying, “This is an extraordinary company! A triumphant melding of acting and drama. Don’t make the mistake of skipping this one. It’s among the finest productions of a Wilson play I’ve seen.” The Washington Post calls Jitney “a consistently funny and absorbing evening,” while The Hollywood Reporter asks, “Is there a more accomplished living interpreter of the plays of August Wilson than Ruben Santiago-Hudson? The timing feels ideal to visit Wilson’s inimitably pulsating world with a peerless company of actors.”

“August Wilson was one of the giants of the American stage,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, “and he had a special relationship to The Old Globe, where three of his plays premiered. Jitney is a prime example of what makes his gift as a playwright so unique. A simple story of working Americans and their struggles and triumphs, it’s set against a huge canvas of national themes. Funny and touching and thought-provoking, Jitney is everything we want theatre to be. Ruben Santiago-Hudson, unquestionably the greatest interpreter of Wilson now at work, gives us a production that’s exhilarating and that demonstrates in every moment why it won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. It’s a real honor to have this work at the Globe, and I know our audience will embrace its excellence and theatrical power.”

The cast includes Broadway and Wilson veteran actors Francois Battiste as Booster (Bronx Bombers, Magic/Bird), Harvy Blanks as Shealy (Jitney, Roundabout’s Toni Stone, King Hedley II and Familiar regionally), Amari Cheatom as Youngblood (the Globe’s Skeleton Crew, On the Levee and The Book of Grace Off Broadway), Tony Award nominee Anthony Chisholm as Fielding (Radio Golf, Two Trains Running,and Gem of the Ocean, Hulu’s “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”), Brian D. Coats as Philmore (Jitney, The Brothers Paranormal Off Broadway, Marvel’s “Luke Cage”), Steven Anthony Jones as Becker (original cast of Negro Ensemble Company’s award-winning A Soldier’s Play), Nija Okoro as Rena (Blueprints to Freedom at La Jolla Playhouse, The Legend of Georgia McBride at Geffen Playhouse, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at Mark Taper Forum), Keith Randolph Smith as Doub (Water by the Spoonful at the Globe, Jitney, American Psycho, King Hedley II, Fences, Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, Girl 6), and Ray Anthony Thomas as Turnbo (Jitney, The Crucible,and Race, Pulitzer Prize winners Water by the Spoonful and Between Riverside and Crazy).

The multiple-award-winning creative team includes David Gallo (Scenic Design), Toni-Leslie James (Costume Design), Jane Cox (Lighting Design), Darron L West and Charles Coes (Sound Design), Bill Sims Jr. (Original Music), Matthew Armentrout (Hair and Makeup Design), and Thomas Schall (Fight Direction), Caparelliotis Casting and Nancy Piccione (Broadway Casting), Laura Stanczyk (Additional Casting), Manhattan Theatre Club (Original Broadway Production), Maximum Entertainment Productions (General Manager), and SenovvA Inc. (Production Supervisor).

Just as Wilson’s original masterpieces enjoyed rolling premieres at The Old Globe and other regional theatres across the country, this production is sharing the glory in cities nationwide as well. The New York Times said of the 2017 revival, “How sweet the sound. And how sorrowful and jubilant, as life in a storefront taxi company in an African American neighborhood in Pittsburgh comes to feel like a free-form urban concerto, shaped by the quick-witted, improvisatory spirit that makes jazz soar… glorious production.” Entertainment Weekly raved “Grade: A! A gem of a play, both timely and timeless,” and added, “It’s like eavesdropping on an often funny, occasionally hostile, always honest discussion about race, urban development (or lack thereof), and relationships—between fathers and sons, men and women, coworkers and friends.”

August Wilson’s (Playwright) plays include Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson (Pulitzer Prize winner), Seven Guitars, Fences (Pulitzer Prize winner, Tony Award winner), Two Trains Running, Jitney (Olivier Award winner), King Hedley II and Radio Golf. In 2003, he made his stage debut in his one-man show, How I Learned What I Learned. He received an Emmy Award nomination for his screenplay The Piano Lesson. Other works include The Janitor, Recycle, The Coldest Day of the Year, Malcolm X, The Homecoming and the musical satire Black Bart and the Sacred Hills. Other awards include eight New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, Rockefeller and Guggenheim Fellowships in Playwriting, a Whiting Writers Award, 2003 Heinz Award, 1999 National Humanities Medal and induction into the Theater Hall of Fame.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Director) is honored to continue this journey with August Wilson’s Jitney whose recent Broadway production garnered several awards for Outstanding Revival including the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama League, and the NY Drama Critics Circle Awards, along with six Tony nominations. Ruben’s directing credits include: The Piano Lesson, Skeleton Crew, Othello, Gem of The Ocean, Paradise Blue, My Children! My Africa!, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Cabin in the Sky, The Happiest Song Plays Last, Two Trains Running, Things of Dry Hours, The First Breeze of Summer and Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine, among many others. Mr. Santiago-Hudson received a Tony Award as featured actor for his performance in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars. He made his Broadway acting debut alongside Gregory Hines in Jelly’s Last Jam. Other Broadway credits include Stick Fly and Gem of The Ocean. The multi-award-winning director/writer/actor wrote, executive produced, and co-starred in the HBO film Lackawanna Blues based on his OBIE and Helen Hayes Award-winning play. The movie received several honors including Emmy, Golden Globe, NAACP Image Award, Humanitas, National Board of Reviews, Black Filmmaker’s Foundation and Christopher Awards. In a career that spans over four decades, Ruben considers opening The Ruben Santiago-Hudson Fine Arts Learning Center in 2014 in his hometown of Lackawanna, NY as one of his proudest and most cherished accomplishments.

August Wilson’s Jitney is supported in part through gifts from Production Sponsors Ann Davies. Financial support is provided by The City of San Diego.

Additional events taking place during the run of August Wilson’s Jitney include:

BARRY EDELSTEIN IN CONVERSATION WITH RUBEN SANTIAGO-HUDSON, supported by the Fuson Family: Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.
Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center
In Conversation is an ongoing series of interviews with major theatrical voices of our era. This fascinating evening will cover Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s career as an actor and director; August Wilson; and specifically Jitney. Tickets will go on sale to subscribers only on Friday, December 20 at 12:00 noon, and to the general public on Tuesday, January 7 at 12:00 noon. Tickets are $7.00 for subscribers, donors, and full-time students, and $10 for general audiences, and they can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.

VICKI AND CARL ZEIGER INSIGHTS SEMINAR: Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.
This series provides an opportunity to closely connect with productions both onstage and backstage. A panel selected from the artistic company of each show (playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and/or technicians) engages patrons in an informal and illuminating presentation of ideas and insights to enhance the theatregoing experience. FREE; no reservations necessary.

SUBJECT MATTERS: Saturday, January 25, 2020
Explore the ideas and issues raised by a production through brief, illuminating post-show discussions with local experts, such as scientists, artists, historians and scholars. Subject Matters will ignite discussion, bring the play's concerns into sharp focus, and encourage you to think beyond the stage! Subject Matters discussions follow select Saturday matinee performances. FREE; no reservations necessary.

POST-SHOW FORUMS: Tuesdays, January 28 and February 4; Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Join us after the show for an informal and enlightening question-and-answer session with cast, crew, and/or Globe staff members. Get the inside story on creating a character and putting together a professional production. FREE for ticketholders of that evening’s performance.

OPEN-CAPTION PERFORMANCE: Saturday, February 8, 2020 at 2:00 p.m.
Open captioning is live text displayed simultaneously to the performance and does not require the user to have any special equipment for viewing the text. Please contact our Ticket Services Department at (619) 23-GLOBE (234-5623) or Tickets@TheOldGlobe.org to purchase tickets within view of the captioning screen. Tickets for open-caption performances go on sale on the single-ticket on-sale date and are subject to availability. Support for open captioning is provided in part by TDF. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Single tickets for August Wilson’s Jitney start at $30.00 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623], or at the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and under, seniors, military members, and groups of 10 or more. Performances begin on November 10 and continue through December 29.

PERFORMANCE TIMES: Previews: Saturday, Jan. 18 at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, Jan. 19 at 7:00 p.m.; Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 7:00 p.m.; and Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7:00 p.m. Opening night is Thursday, January 23 at 8:00 p.m. Regular performances (January 23 – February 23): Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. There will be an additional 2:00 p.m. matinee performance on Wednesday, February 12 and no matinee performance on Saturday, February 15.

LOCATION and PARKING INFORMATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego’s Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. Through a special arrangement with the San Diego Zoo, Old Globe evening ticket-holders have the opportunity to pre-purchase valet parking in the Zoo’s employee parking structure. With a drop-off point just a short walk to the Globe, theatregoers may purchase fast, easy, convenient valet parking for just $14 per vehicle per evening. Pre-paid only, available only by phone through the Old Globe Box Office. Call (619) 234-5623 or visit www.theoldglobe.org/plan-your-visit/directions--parking/valet-parking. The Balboa Park valet is also available during weekend performances, located in front of the Japanese Friendship Garden. For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org.

There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Guests may be dropped off in front of the Mingei International Museum. There is a 10-minute zone at The Old Globe, used only for daytime deliveries, ticket purchases, and handicapped access dropoff. Please note: GPS may guide you to this delivery address, which is different from the main entrance to our campus. For directions and up-to-date information, please visit www.theoldglobe.org/plan-your-visit/directions--parking/detailed-directions.

CALENDAR: Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (11/3–12/29), Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show (11/23–12/24), Powers New Voices Festival (1/10-12, 2020), Barry Edelstein In Conversation with Ruben Santiago-Hudson, supported by the Fuson Family (1/15), August Wilson’s Jitney (1/18–2/23), Hurricane Diane (2/8–3/8), Leap Day AXIS event (2/29), Little Women (3/14–4/19), Faceless (3/28–4/26), The Gardens of Anuncia (5/8–6/14), What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank (5/28–6/28).

PHOTO EDITORS: Digital images of The Old Globe’s productions are available at www.theoldglobe.org/press-room.

The Tony Award–winning The Old Globe is one of the country’s leading professional not-for-profit regional theatres. Now in its 85th year, the Globe is San Diego’s flagship performing arts institution, and it serves a vibrant community with theatre as a public good. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and Managing Director Timothy J. Shields, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 16 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages, including its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people annually attend Globe productions and participate in the theatre’s artistic and arts engagement programs. Its nationally prominent Arts Engagement Department provides an array of participatory programs that make theatre matter to more people in neighborhoods throughout the region. Humanities programs at the Globe and around the city broaden the community’s understanding of theatre art in all its forms. The Globe also boasts a range of new play development programs with professional and community-based writers, as well as the renowned The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. Numerous world premieres—such as 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Bright Star, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,and Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!—have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.

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CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES

Francois Battiste (Booster)is known for his roles on Broadway in Bronx Bombers (Circle in the Square); Magic/Bird (Long Acre); and Prelude to a Kiss (Roundabout). His London credits include: One Night in Miami (Donmar Warehouse), which received the 2016 Olivier nomination for Best Play. Francois’ select Off-Broadway credits include: Paradise Blue (Signature Theatre); OBIE award-winner The Good Negro, Head of Passes and Detroit ’67 (Public Theatre); The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and The Winter’s Tale with Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Delacorte Theater); and 10 Things to Do Before I Die (Second Stage). Regionally, he has worked with Sundance; NY Stage & Film; Williamstown; Chicago Shakespeare; and The Goodman. His television and film credits include: ABC’s Ten Days in the Valley and The Family; HBO’s The Normal Heart; CBS’s Person of Interest and The Good Wife; Are We There Yet? on TBS; Men in Black III; and A Long Walk. Francois was a John Houseman Prize recipient at The Juilliard School and attended Oxford’s British American Drama Academy. He also earned his B.S. at Illinois State University.

Harvy Blanks (Shealy) was seen on Broadway in August Wilson’s Jitney. His regional credits include King Hedley II (New Jersey); Familiar (Seattle); Moscow (Williamstown); The Mountaintop (Portland); Fire on the Mountain (Mountain View); Familiar (Yale Rep); and Jitney (Redbank). He has performed in all 10 plays in August Wilson’s Century Cycle and won the Drama Desk Award for the Off- Broadway production of Table Top.

Amari Cheatom (Youngblood) Theater credits include: Skeleton Crew (The Old Globe SD); Detroit '67 (Baltimore Center Stage); The Temple Bombing (Alliance Theatre); Fetch Clay Make Man (True Colors Theatre Co.); Dutch Masters (LAByrinth Theatre Company); On The Levee (Lincoln Center); The Book of Grace (The Public Theatre); and Zooman and the Sign (Signature Theatre). A graduate of the Juilliard School Drama Division. The Freddie Hendricks Youth Ensemble of Atlanta. Film credits include: Roman J. Israel, Esq.; Detroit, Crown Heights; Moths and Butterflies; The Alchemist Cookbook; Django Unchained; Newlyweeds; Night Catches Us and Knucklehead. Television credits include Numbers (CBS), Chase (USA), Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC) and Georgetown (ABC).

Anthony Chisholm (Fielding) can currently be seen recurring in the Hulu series, Wu-Tang: An American Saga. He is a Tony Award nominee for his portrayal of Elder Joseph Barlow in August Wilson's Radio Golf. His other Broadway credits include August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and Gem of the Ocean. Off- Broadway credits include August Wilson’s Jitney, for which he received the Drama Desk and Obie Awards for his portrayal of Fielding, The Happiest Song Plays Last at Second Stage Theatre and roles with the NY Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater, among others. Overseas: the hit Vietnam play Tracers at London’s Royal Court Theatre, Sydney, Australia’s Seymour Center and Melbourne’s Universal; and August Wilson’s Jitney at The National Theatre in London (Olivier Award, Best New Play). He is also the recipient of the NAACP Theatre Award, the AUDELCO Award, the Ovation Award and the I.R.N.E. Award. His film work includes Going In Style, Chiraq, My Bakery in Brooklyn and Beloved, among others. Select television credits include Random Acts of Flyness, High Maintenance, Shades of Blue, Detroit 1-8-7, Law & Order: SVU and the role of Burr Redding on HBO’s Oz.

Brian D. Coats (Philmore, u/s Shealy, Fielding) Broadway: (MTC/ National Tour) Jitney. Off-Broadway includes: The Brothers Paranormal (Pan Asian Repertory Theatre), Travisville (Ensemble Studio Theatre), La Ruta (Working Theater), The Bacchae, The First Noel (Classical Theatre of Harlem /The Apollo), On the Levee (Lincoln Center), The Merry Wives of Windsor, Two Gentlemen of Verona (Public/ NYSF). Regional: The Royale (Cleveland Play House), The Nest (Denver Center Theatre), Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man (Huntington Theater, Studio Theatre DC), King Hedley II, Seven Guitars, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Two River Theater), Fences, A Raisin in the Sun (Geva Theater), Distant Fires (People's Light and Theater), Clybourne Park (Caldwell Theatre), The Wedding Gift, pen/man/ship (Contemporary American Theatre Fest), Count (PlayMakers Rep) TV includes: “Law & Order,” "Law & Order: SVU,” “JAG,” “Blue Bloods,” “The Sopranos," "Boardwalk Empire,” “Luke Cage," and "The Blacklist."

Steven Anthony Jones (Becker) was the artistic director of the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. He has worked professionally on stage, on television and in film for 46 years. He has performed in the works of August Wilson, (Charles) Fuller, Fugard, Stoppard, Gotonda, Becket, Pinter, Moliere, Shakespeare, Chekhov and others. He was in the original cast of A Soldier’s Play produced by the Negro Ensemble Company, which won an Obie Award for ensemble acting and the Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama. He performed, taught and directed at the American Conservatory Theater for 22 years as a member of the core acting company. Mr. Jones received his early theater training at Karamu House in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.

Nija Okoro (Rena) Theater credits include: The Legend of Georgia McBride (Geffen Playhouse); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Mark Taper Forum); Two Trains Running (Matrix Theatre); Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (u/s Mark Taper Forum); the world premiere of Zoey’s Perfect Wedding (Denver Center); An Octoroon (Chautauqua Theatre Center); Blueprints to Freedom (La Jolla Playhouse); The Mountaintop (Cape May Stage); Bossa Nova (Sundance Theatre Lab); and Echo In Silence (McCarter Theatre). TV: The Deuce, Animal Kingdom, StartUp, Insecure, Monday Mornings, Hail Mary, Southland, Medium and ER. Upcoming film: Red River, A Doll’s House (starring Sir Ben Kingsley) and Gilpin. Training: The Juilliard School. Dedicated to Malvenia.

Keith Randolph Smith (Doub) Broadway: Jitney; American Psycho; Come Back Little Sheba; Salome; King Hedley II; Fences; The Piano Lesson. Off-Broadway: Paradise Blue; Lockdown; Tamburlaine; Holiday Heart; The First Breeze of Summer; Jitney; The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll’d; Intimacy. Regional; A Human Being of a Sort; How to Catch Creation; Our Town; Romeo and Juliet; Antony and Cleopatra; Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Tempest; Three Sisters; Ivanov; The Seagull; In Walks Ed; Water by the Spoonful; Sunset Baby; The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey. Film and TV: The Good Fight; Law and Order; One Life to Live; I’ll Fly Away; NY Undercover; Cosby; Malcolm X; Girl Six; Path to Paradise; Anesthesia; Backstreet Justice; The Warrior Class; Dead Dogs Lie; Fallout.

Ray Anthony Thomas (Turnbo) is thrilled to return to this production. His Broadway credits include Jitney, The Crucible and Race. Ray has created roles in two Pulitzer Prize-winning plays: Water by the Spoonful and Between Riverside and Crazy. He also created a role in Volunteer Man (Obie winning-performance). Recent theater Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow (Off- Broadway); Two Trains Running (Cincy/Milwaukee); The Year to Come (La Jolla); and Artney Jackson (Williamstown). Other credits include: Fences and Jitney for August Wilson’s Century Cycle with NPR Radio. Recent film and TV credits include Isn’t It Romantic and High Maintenance (HBO).

David Gallo (Scenic Designer) has designed more than 30 Broadway productions, including Memphis, First Date, The Drowsy Chaperone (Tony Award for Best Scenic Design), The Mountaintop, Reasons to Be Pretty, Xanadu, Company and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Working with August Wilson from 1996 until his death, David designed the premiere productions of Wilson’s later works, including King Hedley II, Jitney, Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf— the latter two of which each garnered him Tony nominations. Other awards: Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Ovation, Obie, L.A. Drama Critics, Outer Critics Circle and NAACP. davidgallo.com

Toni-Leslie James (Costume Designer) Broadway: Come From Away (2017); Amazing Grace; Lucky Guy; The Scottsboro Boys; Finian’s Rainbow; Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life; Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; King Hedley II; One Mo’ Time; The Wild Party; Marie Christine; Footloose; The Tempest; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Angels in America: Millennium Approaches; Perestroika; Chronicle of a Death Foretold; and Jelly’s Last Jam. Awards: Tony nomination,three Drama Desk nominations, six Lucille Lortel nominations, Hewes Design Award, Irene Sharaff Young MastersAward and the 2009 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Costume Design.

Jane Cox (Lighting Designer)’s projects with Ruben Santiago-Hudson include Seven Guitars at Signature Theatre. Broadway: The Color Purple; Machinal; All the Way; Come Back, Little Sheba; and Picnic. Recent projects include Amélie at Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Othello at NYTW; Hamlet at the Barbican; Roe at OSF; The Flick at the National Theatre, London; and Passion, Peer Gynt and Allegro at Classic Stage Company. Jane is a member of the Monica Bill Barnes Dance Company, has a long collaboration with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and is the director of the theater program at Princeton University.

Darron L West (Sound Designer) Previouslyat the Friedman: The American Plan, To Be or Not to Be, The Royal Family, Top Girls and Time Stands Still. He is a Tony and Obie Award-winning sound designer whose work fortheater and dance has been heard in more than 500 productions nationally and internationally, on Broadway andoff. His accolades for sound design also include the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel and AUDELCO awards. He is a two-time Henry Hewes Design Award winner and a proud recipient of the Princess Grace Award statue.

Charles Coes (Sound Designer) is a New Jersey-based sound designer. Off-Broadway, he’s designed: Tales of the Washer King (Playwright’s Realm); Servant of Two Masters (TFANA among others); Robber Bridegroom (Roundabout); For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday (Playwrights); and Natural Shocks (WP Theater). He teaches at the Yale School of Drama and has worked as an associate on many Broadway shows including Peter and the Starcatcher; Great Comet of 1812; and To Kill a Mockingbird. He’s won the Craig Noel Award (San Diego) and the Footlights Award (Milwaukee) for sound design.

Bill Sims Jr. (Original Music) is an internationally respected “Master of the Blues.” He is a 2012 Grammy nominee for And Still I Rise and an Obie Award winner for Lackawanna Blues. Recent theater credits: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Two River), The Piano Lesson (Hartford Stage and Signature Theatre), August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and Jitney (Two River). Mr. Sims was the subject of the documentary An American Love Story (PBS), for which he composed many of the songs for the soundtrack. Other film credits: Lackawanna Blues, New York Stories, Miss Ruby’s House, American Gangster and Cadillac Records. Training: Ohio State University. heritagebluesorchestra.com

Matthew Armentrout (Hair and Makeup Design)'s Broadway design credits include Bernhardt/Hamlet. Other design credits include Merrily We Roll Along (Roundabout), Anna May Wong—The Actress Who Died a Thousand Deaths (Mabou Mines), Paradise Square (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), Othello (Shakespeare in the Park), London Rocks (Busch Gardens Williamsburg) and A Christmas Carol (Busch Gardens Williamsburg).

Thomas Schall (Fight Director) has worked on more than 60 Broadway shows, including The Front Page, The Crucible, Blackbird, The Color Purple, Waitress, The King and I, War Horse, This Is Our Youth, Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, Lucky Guy, Death of a Salesman, Venus in Fur, and A View from the Bridge. He has worked extensively at Lincoln Center (Disgraced, Blood and Gifts), the Public Theater (Hamlet, King Lear, Mother Courage, Father Comes Home from the Wars), MTC (Ruined, Murder Ballad), NY Theatre Workshop (Red Speedo, Othello) and the Met Opera (Le Nozze di Figaro, Il Trovatore).

Caparelliotis Casting (Broadway Casting). Select Broadway: King Lear, Hillary and Clinton, Ink, The Waverly Gallery, The Boys in the Band, Three Tall Women, Meteor Shower, A Doll’s House, Part 2, Jitney, The Glass Menagerie, Blackbird, Fences. Select theaters: Signature, Atlantic, Ars Nova, Old Globe, McCarter, Goodman, Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, Arena Stage. Current TV: New Amsterdam (NBC).

Nancy Piccione (Broadway Casting) Broadway credits include Choir Boy, Jitney, Heisenberg, The Father, Venus in Fur, Wit, Time Stands Still, Top Girls, Shining City, The Assembled Parties, Outside Mullingar, Casa Valentina and Constellations. She cast the original productions of Proof and The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife Off- Broadway and on Broadway as well as their national tours. Off- Broadway credits include Sugar in Our Wounds, Cost of Living, Linda, Incognito, The Explorers Club, Choir Boy, The Whipping Man, Ruined, Equivocation and The World of Extreme Happiness. Prior to working at Manhattan Theatre Club, she was a member of the casting staff at the New YorkShakespeare Festival for 10 years, where she worked on Shakespeare in the Park and numerous productions at the Public Theatre. She cast the American actors for the first two seasons of The  Bridge Project, produced by BAM and the Old Vic London. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and a member of the Casting Society of America.

Laura Stanczyk (Additional Casting) Broadway, Off-Broadway and tours: Encores! Off Center, Side Show, After Midnight, A Night With Janis Joplin, Follies, Lombardi, Ragtime, Impressionism, Seafarer, Radio Golf, Coram Boy, Translations, Dirty Dancing, Glorious Ones, Noura, Little Rock, Fetch Clay, Brother Sister Plays. Multiple seasons for Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre, Hartford Stage, McCarter, etc.

Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC), under the dynamic leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country’s most prominent theatre companies. Productions at its Broadway and Off-Broadway venues have garnered numerous awards, including 27 Tony Awards® and 7 Pulitzer Prizes. MTC premieres include August Wilson’s Jitney and The Piano Lesson, Ink, Choir Boy, Wit, Vietgone, Venus in Fur, Ruined, Rabbit Hole, Doubt, Proof, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Crimes of the Heart and Ain’t Misbehavin’. manhattantheatreclub.com.

Maximum Entertainment Productions (General Manager) is a producing, developing and management company founded by Avram Freedberg, Mary Beth Dale and Eva Price; and is joined by Managing Director/General Manager Carl Flanigan. Select Broadway, Off- Broadway and Touring credits include What the Constitution Means to Me (National Tour); Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical; Small Mouth Sounds; Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons on Broadway!; The Hip Hop Nutcracker; The Lion; Verso; Black Light; Born for This (LA and Boston); 50 Shades! The Musical; Ivy + Bean The Musical; Voca People; and Colin Quinn: Long Story Short. www.maximumcompany.com

Senovva (Production Supervisor) is built on the vast experience and personal relationships of our producers, managers, designers and technical specialists; SenovvA focuses on solution driven services in Theater, Broadcast, and Architecture throughout the world. Current Theatrical projects include: Freestyle Love Supreme, The Sound Inside, American Moor, Cirque du Soleil — Twas the Night Before..., Audible @ Minetta Lane, Jersey Boys, Only Human, Mrs. Doubtfire.

August Wilson’s Jitney
By August Wilson
Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Originally produced by Manhattan Theater Club

RUNS: January 18 – February 23, 2020
Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Old Globe Theatre, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center

TICKETS: Ticket prices start at $30.00.

SYNOPSIS: The American master and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson had a close relationship with The Old Globe, where three of his plays premiered. His exciting work returns to our stage with the production that won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, directed by the acclaimed Ruben Santiago-Hudson. A jitney is an unlicensed taxicab. Five tireless drivers in Pittsburgh’s Hill District fight for love, survival, and respect as the powers-that-be threaten to close down their garage in the name of neighborhood improvement.

CAST: Francois Battiste (Booster), Harvy Blanks (Shealy), Amari Cheatom (Youngblood), Anthony Chisholm (Fielding), Brian D. Coats (Philmore), Steven Anthony Jones (Becker), Nija Okoro (Rena), Keith Randolph Smith (Doub), Ray Anthony Thomas (Turnbo).

CREATIVE TEAM: David Gallo (Scenic Design), Toni-Leslie James (Costume Design), Jane Cox (Lighting Design), Darron L West and Charles Coes (Sound Design), Bill Sims Jr. (Original Music), Matthew Armentrout (Hair and Makeup Design), Thomas Schall (Fight Direction), Caparelliotis Casting and Nancy Piccione (Broadway Casting), Laura Stanczyk (Additional Casting), Manhattan Theatre Club (Original Broadway Production), Maximum Entertainment Productions (General Manager), SenovvA Inc. (Production Supervisor).

BOX OFFICE WINDOW HOURS: Noon to final curtain Tuesday through Sunday. American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and VISA accepted.
(619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623].

LOCATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego’s Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. Free parking is available throughout the park. Valet parking is also available ($14.00, evenings only, advance reservation).

Performance Schedule
PREVIEW PERFORMANCES:
Jan 18 SAT 8:00pm
Jan 19 SUN 7:00pm
Jan 21 TUES 7:00pm (Zeiger Insights Seminar)
Jan 22 WED 7:00pm
OPENING NIGHT: Jan 23 THU 8:00pm
REGULAR PERFORMANCES:
Jan 24 FRI 8:00pm
Jan 25 SAT 2:00pm (Subject Matters)
Jan 25 SAT 8:00pm
Jan 26 7 SUN 2:00pm
Jan 26 SUN 7:00pm
Jan 28 TUE 7:00pm (Post-Show Forum)
Jan 29 WED 7:00pm
Jan 30 THU 8:00pm
Jan 31 FRI 8:00pm
Feb 1 SAT 2:00pm
Feb 1 SAT 8:00pm
Feb 2 SUN 2:00pm
Feb 2 SUN 7:00pm
Feb 4 TUE 7:00pm (Post-Show Forum)
Feb 5 WED 7:00pm
Feb 6 THU 8:00pm
Feb 7 FRI 8:00pm
Feb 8 SAT 2:00pm (Open-Caption Performance)
Feb 8 SAT 8:00pm
Feb 9 7 SUN 2:00pm
Feb 9 SUN 7:00pm
Feb 11 TUE 7:00pm
Feb 12 WED 2:00pm
Feb 12 WED 7:00pm (Post-Show Forum)
Feb 13 THU 8:00pm
Feb 14 FRI 8:00pm
Feb 15 SAT 8:00pm
Feb 16 SUN 2:00pm
Feb 16 SUN 7:00pm
Feb 18 TUE 7:00pm
Feb 19 WED 7:00pm
Feb 20 THU 8:00pm
Feb 21 FRI 8:00pm
Feb 22 SAT 2:00pm
Feb 22 SAT 8:00pm
Feb 23 SUN 2:00pm
Feb 23 SUN 7:00pm

PHOTOS: Digital images of Globe productions are available at TheOldGlobe.org/press-room.

PRESS CONTACTS:
Susan Chicoine, PR Director
(619) 238-0043 x2352 / 325-9416
schicoine@TheOldGlobe.org

Lucía Serrano, PR Associate,
(619) 238-0043 x2356
lserrano@theoldglobe.org