Hardship and hope in 1950's Pittsburgh
Life can be full of unexpected heartbreak, trials, and tribulations, but it’s often in these moments that we find happiness in the simple things. It’s the hard times that show us how important the good times are, and that encourage us to keep the ones we love as close as possible.
This is exactly how playwright August Wilson shows us the dynamics of one African American family in Pittsburgh in the ’50s. Through their hardships comes a deeper understanding of life and happiness.
The Chattanooga Theatre Centre invites you to experience this heartfelt story on stage with their production of “Fences” beginning this Friday night at 8 p.m.
The CTC’s production of “Fences” is directed by Ricardo Morris and tells the story of a former Negro league baseball star, Troy Maxson, and how his inability to go professional, based solely on his race in the pre-Civil Rights era, threatens to disrupt his entire life. Troy is forced to abandon his dream of professional sports in order to provide for his family as a garbage man.
When his youngest son Cory becomes active in football, Troy tries to dissuade him before he faces the same unfortunate reality his father did. In the midst of all this are Troy’s wife, Rose, who strives to be a peacekeeper, Troy’s good-natured son Lyons from a previous marriage, Troy’s brother Gabriel who has returned from war with his own demons, and Troy’s best friend and mentor, Bono.
The lead roles of Troy and Rose are played by Mateen Muhammad El and E’tienne Easley. Both have performed with the Theatre Centre before, but this show is special for them because they share so many similarities with the characters they’re portraying. Easley said she mothers close to 600 children at her job every day, and she strives to be the peacekeeper in her own family.
“Everything is changing,” Easley explained of the “Fences” era. “We have backgrounds of sharecropping and farming and things, and we’re trying to move to a bigger city with bigger opportunities. And through that, there’s a lot of trials and tribulations and breakthroughs. And so, in each one of our lives, you’ll see the breakthroughs. You’ll see the secrets unveiled. You’ll see life as it was in the ‘50s for this particular family. There’s a lot of hurt, a lot of joy, and there’s a lot of love there. The reason why it resonates is because it’s the human connection; it’s feelings. You can connect to disappointment and hopes.”
The show also deals with many issues that are relevant to today’s society. Gabriel, who comes back from the war with a metal plate in his head, is forced to deal with mental health issues. Easley and Muhammad El explained that mental health can often be ignored or treated as “hush hush,” especially in African American communities.
“With me working in the mental health field for a couple of years, I’ve seen it,” Muhammad El explained. “I’ve seen families take their children and put them in places where they don’t want people to know that they have them because they’re mentally ill. However, with my brother [Gabriel], I love my brother passionately, and my wife loves my brother passionately, but he wants to do his own thing. He has a different mindset. We gotta let him be free.”
The cast of seven started rehearsals back on December 23rd, and they’ve all been extremely dedicated to their roles, especially during the holiday season. “Fences” is going to be the first show in the CTC’s pledge to complete the American Century Cycle, meaning they perform one of August Wilson’s plays every year for 10 years.
Easley and Muhammad El explained that the set itself is designed to look like you’re sitting in the Maxson’s backyard and looking into their home and lives, in order to experience the full range of emotions with them. There will also be some interesting sound and light elements.
“In the beginning, you can see that all the stuff is laid out on the table. What the issues are, what the problems are, things of that nature,” Easley said. “But at the same time, you can make a person think, even though I know what’s going on, I can make a difference in how I choose to handle and embrace certain things.”
“As it resonates today, based on where we come from, people of all nationalities, races, whatever it may be, are going to get the value of knowing what they had to go through from a standpoint, on a greater magnitude, by seeing us do it,” said Muhammad El. “And that’s what it really does; it gives you an awareness.”
The CTC’s production of “Fences” opens Friday night at 8 p.m., and will be performed through March 3rd with both evening and Sunday matinee shows. Tickets are available online, over the phone, or at the Theatre Centre box office.
If you’ve ever wanted a chance to experience both the good and bad emotions of one relatable family during a very trying time in history, then you definitely don’t want to miss “Fences” at the Theatre Centre.