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News from the College | |
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Contact us: (252) 985-5141 |
March 27, 2000
Pulitzer Prize-winning "Fences" by NC Wesleyan Theatre, April 11-16
Rocky Mount, NC –August Wilson’s 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, "Fences," is to be produced at North Carolina Wesleyan College. The African-American play has been awarded numerous honors including New York Drama Critics, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1990. The play is directed by NC Wesleyan professor, Richard Stafford. The production will be staged in the Powers Recital Hall in the Dunn Center and will include four morning performances open to the public at 10 a.m., April 11-14. Evening performances begin at 8 p.m. and run April 13-15. There is one afternoon matinee at 2 p.m., closing the show, on Sunday, April 16. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Belk Box Office at 252-985-5197. Tickets to the daytime morning shows are $2 per person, students and adults. The evening performances and Sunday matinee are $5 for students and $7 for adults. Language may be in appropriate for audiences below 12 years of age. The drama centers on the later life of Troy Maxson, a Pittsburgh garbage collector in 1957. Maxson, his wife Rose, and their eighteen-year-old son Cory struggle to maintain a sense of family unity. Their efforts to maintain happiness are dashed to the ground as Maxson, formerly a player for the Negro Baseball league, stumbles and strikes out in most of his relationships. A reviewer for the New York Post reported when the play first opened, "One of the richest experiences I have ever had in theatre. I wasn’t just moved, I was transfixed." Stafford, who is finishing his second year at Wesleyan, says the play is an extraordinary step for the college theatre program. "I feel this play is the most significant drama in the fifty-year history of the college. The theme of how we handle "fence-building" is an important lesson for us all. Students need to recognize when fences are being thrown up at them in life, and they need to understand the appropriate manner in which to dismantle them, as well," Stafford said. "I think it is going to be a fine theatre experience for the actors, the campus, and the community." August Wilson, the playwright, is also known for his other African-American plays including "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom," "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone," "The Piano Lesson," "Two Trains Running," and "Seven Guitars." Wilson grew up in Pittsburgh with his mother and five siblings. His father, Frederick August Wilson, who was white, never lived with the family. Wilson founded several theatre companies, including the Playwrights Center in Minneapolis. In the 1960’s and 70’s Wilson was a civil rights activist. Most of his plays have strong ties to blues music and often have multiple references to food. Cast as Troy Maxson is Washington, D.C., sophomore, Carl D. Thomas. Thomas has also served as assistant director for the production. Rose, Maxson’s wife, is played by Rocky Mount native, Carletta Edge Dudley. Others in the cast include: Moquisis Brown (Richmond, Va.), Samuel Scott (Rocky Mount), Jermain N. Prince, Robert Ike Uche, and Zayd Williamson, all of Washington, D.C. The set designer is Mike Burnett and the play is stage managed by Ita Yarborough from Durham, N.C. Rick Wise, from Berryville, Va., is the sound designer and Meghan Lancaster, from Wilmington, N.C., is lighting designer. # # # |
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on 12/16/05 |
