Two Trains Running
Encyclopedia
Two Trains Running is a play
by American playwright
August Wilson
, the seventh in his ten-part series The Pittsburgh Cycle. It was first performed by the Yale Repertory Theatre
in New Haven, Connecticut
, while its Broadway
première was on 13 April 1992 at the Walter Kerr Theatre
in New York City.
The play takes place in the Hill District, an African American neighborhood
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
in 1969. It explores the social and psychological manifestations of changing attitudes toward race from the perspective of urban blacks.
, and segregatory "Jim Crow
" laws, many black Americans migrated to northern industrial cities during the early and mid-20th century. Most of these migrants had worked in agriculture in the former Confederate
slave states, and few were well acquainted with urban life. Broadly speaking, blacks who moved north could expect higher wages, better educational opportunities, and greater potential for social advancement than they had received in the South.
While racism in the North was arguably less violent and overt than in the South, it was nonetheless present. Though lynching
was rarer and de jure segregation did not exist in the North, negative attitudes towards blacks prevailed among many white citizens. As industrial, inner-city neighborhoods became increasingly black, many whites left for the suburb
s, taking their capital assets with them.
The result, was the rapid emergence of overwhelmingly black neighborhoods, which, generally speaking, suffered tragically high poverty and crime rates. Yet these neighborhoods also simmered with hopes of economic, social, and political advancement. As such, they served as fertile soil for the Civil Rights and Black Power
movements. Two Trains Running is set in such a neighborhood.
In the play, Memphis recounts how his restaurant, which now sees few patrons, used to be packed with customers. He discusses how many once-bustling small businesses have since closed down.
Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment Authority
seized land in the area throughout the 1960s, as part of the movement known generally as urban renewal
. Countless buildings were destroyed to make way for the Civic Arena
and various public housing projects. This effort displaced thousands of people, and is remembered as one of the most catastrophic urban development efforts in US history.
In the play, Memphis's building is to be seized by the city (presumably by the URA), and he is nervous about the price he will receive for it. Speaking of the eminent domain clause in his deed, he says "They don't know I got a clause of my own... They can carry me out feet first... but my clause say... they got to meet my price!" Like Hambone's "He gonna give me my ham", this indignant insistence is not just material. It represents an unyielding demand for dignity and respect from those who have historically been denied it.
To understand the significance of the rally, one must consider the history of riots in Pittsburgh in the late 1960s. After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, a wave of riots struck urban, black areas of the United States. Though not as devastating as the riots in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, the riots in Pittsburgh damaged black areas economically and escalated tensions with the city police.
Memphis's scorn also reflects a broader generational conflict on the topic of resistance that came to a head in the 1960s. Many older, southern-born blacks like Memphis had learned to survive by not stirring up trouble with the white establishment. Many in the younger generation, such as Sterling, viewed this attitude as implicit submission—a remnant of slave mentality worthy of contempt.
This shift in attitude is evident in the evolution of the Civil Rights movement. In 1960, the movement relied primarily on legal action and political lobbying by organizations such as the NAACP. Over the next few years, however, nonviolent mass action emerged as the primary tactic, manifesting in events such as the 1963 March on Washington. By the late 1960s, however, many younger members of the movement, questioned the idea of nonviolence. For example, in 1966, Stokely Carmichael
became leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
(SNCC). Carmichael believed that true liberation for black people required direct seizure of power rather than appeal to white power structures. Pursuant to this belief, he dismissed all white members of SNCC. The organization effectively became part of the Black Power
movement, and over the next few years dissolved, as many of its leaders (including Carmichael) joined the more radical Black Panther Party
.
While Holloway is polite to Risa, he does nothing to defend her from Memphis' persistent criticism. For all he has to say on the topic of racial injustice, he seems oblivious or apathetic to the injustice that occurs right before his eyes at the restaurant.
When Sterling invites Risa to the rally, she shows surprisingly little interest. Though she does not say so explicitly, it appears she feels alienated from the Civil Rights and Black Power movements.
This interaction elegantly portrays the exclusion of women from the movement. As one author writes:
(from http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/thistle/v9/9.01/6blackf.html)
Awards
Nominations
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
by American playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
August Wilson
August Wilson
August Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama...
, the seventh in his ten-part series The Pittsburgh Cycle. It was first performed by the Yale Repertory Theatre
Yale Repertory Theatre
The Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of the Yale School of Drama in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented students. In the process it has become one of the...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, while its Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
première was on 13 April 1992 at the Walter Kerr Theatre
Walter Kerr Theatre
The Walter Kerr Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre. Located at 219 West 48th Street, it is owned and operated by Jujamcyn Theaters. One of the smaller auditoriums in the theatre district, it seats 975....
in New York City.
Plot synopsis
Characters- Holloway
- Wolf
- Sterling
- Risa
- West
- Hambone
- Memphis
The play takes place in the Hill District, an African American neighborhood
African American neighborhood
African-American neighborhoods or black neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. Generally, an African American neighborhood is one where the majority of the people who live there are African American. Some of the earliest African American...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
in 1969. It explores the social and psychological manifestations of changing attitudes toward race from the perspective of urban blacks.
African American migration
Seeking to escape from poverty, racismRacism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, and segregatory "Jim Crow
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
" laws, many black Americans migrated to northern industrial cities during the early and mid-20th century. Most of these migrants had worked in agriculture in the former Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
slave states, and few were well acquainted with urban life. Broadly speaking, blacks who moved north could expect higher wages, better educational opportunities, and greater potential for social advancement than they had received in the South.
While racism in the North was arguably less violent and overt than in the South, it was nonetheless present. Though lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
was rarer and de jure segregation did not exist in the North, negative attitudes towards blacks prevailed among many white citizens. As industrial, inner-city neighborhoods became increasingly black, many whites left for the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s, taking their capital assets with them.
The result, was the rapid emergence of overwhelmingly black neighborhoods, which, generally speaking, suffered tragically high poverty and crime rates. Yet these neighborhoods also simmered with hopes of economic, social, and political advancement. As such, they served as fertile soil for the Civil Rights and Black Power
Black Power
Black Power is a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies. It is used in the movement among people of Black African descent throughout the world, though primarily by African Americans in the United States...
movements. Two Trains Running is set in such a neighborhood.
The Hill District in the 1960s
The restaurant in the play is at 1621 Wylie Avenue, in Pittsburgh's Hill District. In the 1940s and '50s, the Hill District was one of the most prosperous, culturally active black neighborhoods in the United States. In 1960s, however, the neighborhood had suffered a sharp economic decline.In the play, Memphis recounts how his restaurant, which now sees few patrons, used to be packed with customers. He discusses how many once-bustling small businesses have since closed down.
Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment Authority
Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh
The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh is the City of Pittsburgh’s economic development agency, committed to creating jobs, expanding the City’s tax base and improving the vitality of businesses and neighborhoods...
seized land in the area throughout the 1960s, as part of the movement known generally as urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
. Countless buildings were destroyed to make way for the Civic Arena
Mellon Arena
Civic Arena is an indoor arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is currently undergoing demolition. It was the first retractable roof major sports venue in the world, covering 170,000 sq. feet and constructed with just shy of 3,000 tons of Pittsburgh steel...
and various public housing projects. This effort displaced thousands of people, and is remembered as one of the most catastrophic urban development efforts in US history.
In the play, Memphis's building is to be seized by the city (presumably by the URA), and he is nervous about the price he will receive for it. Speaking of the eminent domain clause in his deed, he says "They don't know I got a clause of my own... They can carry me out feet first... but my clause say... they got to meet my price!" Like Hambone's "He gonna give me my ham", this indignant insistence is not just material. It represents an unyielding demand for dignity and respect from those who have historically been denied it.
Urban unrest and the Black Power movement
Throughout Act Two of the play, Sterling (a young man from the neighborhood recently released from the state penitentiary) eagerly awaits a rally, for which he tries to generate interest at the restaurant. Though he makes it clear that the rally involves racial justice, he does not specify its exact motivations or political aims. Memphis reacts with scorn when Sterling posts a flyer for the event, but he never makes it clear exactly why he is so uncomfortable with it.To understand the significance of the rally, one must consider the history of riots in Pittsburgh in the late 1960s. After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, a wave of riots struck urban, black areas of the United States. Though not as devastating as the riots in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, the riots in Pittsburgh damaged black areas economically and escalated tensions with the city police.
Memphis's scorn also reflects a broader generational conflict on the topic of resistance that came to a head in the 1960s. Many older, southern-born blacks like Memphis had learned to survive by not stirring up trouble with the white establishment. Many in the younger generation, such as Sterling, viewed this attitude as implicit submission—a remnant of slave mentality worthy of contempt.
This shift in attitude is evident in the evolution of the Civil Rights movement. In 1960, the movement relied primarily on legal action and political lobbying by organizations such as the NAACP. Over the next few years, however, nonviolent mass action emerged as the primary tactic, manifesting in events such as the 1963 March on Washington. By the late 1960s, however, many younger members of the movement, questioned the idea of nonviolence. For example, in 1966, Stokely Carmichael
Stokely Carmichael
Kwame Ture , also known as Stokely Carmichael, was a Trinidadian-American black activist active in the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. He rose to prominence first as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and later as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party...
became leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ' was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. It emerged from a series of student meetings led by Ella Baker held at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in April 1960...
(SNCC). Carmichael believed that true liberation for black people required direct seizure of power rather than appeal to white power structures. Pursuant to this belief, he dismissed all white members of SNCC. The organization effectively became part of the Black Power
Black Power
Black Power is a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies. It is used in the movement among people of Black African descent throughout the world, though primarily by African Americans in the United States...
movement, and over the next few years dissolved, as many of its leaders (including Carmichael) joined the more radical Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
.
Black women in the 1960s
Though she has relatively few lines, Risa is one of the most powerful characters in Two Trains Running. Despite his long struggles with oppression, Memphis seems to have little idea of his oppressive behavior toward Risa. He never thanks her or shows appreciation for her work, and he constantly meddles in her affairs as if she could not manage without him.While Holloway is polite to Risa, he does nothing to defend her from Memphis' persistent criticism. For all he has to say on the topic of racial injustice, he seems oblivious or apathetic to the injustice that occurs right before his eyes at the restaurant.
When Sterling invites Risa to the rally, she shows surprisingly little interest. Though she does not say so explicitly, it appears she feels alienated from the Civil Rights and Black Power movements.
This interaction elegantly portrays the exclusion of women from the movement. As one author writes:
- The movement, though ostensibly for the liberation of the black race,
- was in word and deed for the liberation of the black male. Race was
- extremely sexualized in the rhetoric of the movement. Freedom was
- equated with manhood and the freedom of blacks with the redemption of
- black masculinity.
(from http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/thistle/v9/9.01/6blackf.html)
Awards and nominations
Awards
- 2007 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Revival
Nominations
- 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
- 1992 Tony Award for Best Play
- 2007 Audelco Award for Dramatic Production of the Year