It’s hard to imagine that just five decades ago, racism wasn’t just tolerated, but, in some areas, legislated. African-Americans across the country found themselves disenfranchised by the government that freed their ancestors a century earlier. But what is freedom, really?
Author and playwright August Wilson explores these themes in his ten-part play series "The Pittsburgh Cycle." Coming of age in the Pennsylvania city in the 1960s, Wilson experienced the gentrification of black neighborhoods firsthand, which ousted African-Americans from their homes and businesses to make way for urban renewal as developers and lawmakers saw fit.
Two Trains Running, the seventh of The Pittsburgh Cycle lineup, tells the story of the owners and patrons of Memphis Lee’s restaurant who are caught in the middle of a turbulent gentrification process and push back as much as safety allows in Black Theatre Troupe's season opener.
Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m.; Thu., Oct. 18, 2 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 20, 2 p.m. Starts: Oct. 12. Continues through Oct. 21, 2012
