By August Wilson

Directed by Terrence Spivey
August 8th – September 6th 2025
Outdoors at August Wilson House

Set in the 1950s, Fences evokes the early rumblings of the civil rights movement. The central character is Troy Maxson, a middle-aged resident of Pittsburgh’s Hill District. The play follows Troy’s struggle to accept the generational changes that allowed his son to succeed in ways Troy never could.

Fences will be presented as part of August Wilson’s American Century Cycle Experience, three August Wilson classics, all running in August 2025 at Madison Arts Center and August Wilson House.

Cast

Troy	Kevin Brown
Rose	Karla C. Payne
Bono	Sam Lothard
Corey	Kymir Cogdell-Freeman
Lyons	Mils James
Gabriel	Les Howard
Raynell	Saniya Lavelle / Dodi-Ann Lulu Chambers

Setting

The Maxson family yard in the Hill District of Pittsburgh in 1957.

Director’s Notes

It is a great honor to be part of a groundbreaking moment this August with Mark Clayton Southers, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Company and August Wilson House. I thank you. To be part of breathing life into one of three classic plays, Fences, in the childhood neighborhood, ancestral grounds, of America’s greatest playwright, August Wilson.

Fences touches a plethora of themes, from discrimination, father and son complexities, a dream deferred, strength of women and black love, in the backdrop of the 1950s. Troy can be seen as a misunderstood man who could’ve been a contender, challenges some still face today.

Wilson weaved a historical and cultural tapestry of not only black life, but life in America.

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts. His acts being seven ages”. – Shakespeare

Thank you, August.

Terrence Spivey

August Wilson’s American Century Cycle

With our production of Two Trains Running, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre becomes the first theatre company in the world to produce all ten plays of August Wilson’s American Century Cycle twice!

Title (premiered)	Set In	Broadway	PPTCO
Gem of the Ocean (2003)	1904	2004	2012, 2019
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (1986)	1911	1988, 2009	2005, 2023
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984)	1927	1984, 2003	2003, 2018, 2025
The Piano Lesson (1987)	1936	1990, 2022	2006, 2015
Seven Guitars (1995)	1948	1996	2009, 2016
Fences (1985)	1957	1987, 2010	2004, 2015, 2025
Two Trains Running (1990)	1968	1992	2008, 2025
Jitney (1982)	1977	2017	2010, 2022
King Hedley II (1999)	1985	2001	2011, 2018
Radio Golf (2005)	1997	2007	2013, 2024

About the Cast

Kevin Brown (Troy) is both honored and thrilled to reprise the role of Troy Maxson. It’s been a long time coming, ten years to be exact. Brown was last seen in New Horizon Theater Company’s production of Blues Is The Roots and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s production of The Bluegrass Mile. That 2015 Fences production holds special significance on so many levels. It was during that production that we almost lost Mark Clayton Southers. Continued blessings to and for him. I’d like to dedicated this production to our original Gabriel, Mr. Anthony Chisholm. May he rest in paradise.

Dodi-Ann Lulu Chambers (Raynell) is a third grader at Miller African-Centered Academy. Her very first production was a nine month run in the play “Naomi’s Belly”.

In her spare time she enjoys writing and drawing. She also studies Ballet and Jiu Jitsu. She dedicates this performance to her Dad, Mom and brother Dendi.

Kymir Cogdell-Freeman (Corey) is 16, was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, educated at Dilworth Elementary K-5 and is currently attending Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12 where he studied theater, musical theater, and is currently majoring in dance. He has portrayed many characters in his summer camp EECM plays. In 2021 he had his first lead role, playing Daniel in the EECM camp production called The Fight To Be Your ‘Best’! Kymir has also appeared on stage as a featured performer in CAPA’s Winter Wonderland and CAPA’s Willy Wonka middle school musical in 2019. Over the years, he has worked with the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Company and has performed in many plays and musicals such as August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Mark Clayton Southers’ The Bluegrass Mile, and Dinah. Kymir wants to pursue his acting career and someday appear on television!

Mils “M. J.” James (Lyons & Costume Designer), an actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, instructor and director, is a product of Point Park College and Pittsburgh High School for Creative and Performing Arts. He is founding artistic director of Reflections Theatre CO-OP in NYC. He has performed all over the world in such productions as For All My Girls (Tyron / Joe) directed by Marishka S. Phillips, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Sylvester), Once on this Island (Papa Ge), and Do Lord Remember Me, and danced for the Jacobs Campbell company and Forces of Nature in New York. He has also worked alongside Sherman Hemsley, Reggie Kelley, Eileen J. Morris, Renn Woods, Walter Rutledge, Vivian Reed, and Tony award winners George Faison, Hinton Battle, and Billy Porter, to name a few. He has most recently appeared in PPTCO’s Sanctified as Bobby, and Fishy Woo Woo as Cordero. Mils is elated to be performing at the August Wilson House especially after having the honor and privilege to have experienced him personally. It is an honor and a privilege to be black and working as an artist in America. Let’s make black art great again!

Les Howard (Gabriel) is an accomplished actor, beginning his acting career many years ago as a member of the former and prestigious D.C. Black Repertory Company, founded by actor Robert Hooks, in Washington, D.C.  Les has had many fine performances, here in Pittsburgh, for such theaters as Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Co., New Horizon Theater, Gargaro Productions and the former Kuntu Repertory Theater. Les may be best remembered, previously, as Turnbo in PPTCO’s past highly successful productions of August Wilson’s Jitney,  as The Great Father in Pittsburgh Festival Opera’s critically acclaimed, and award-winning production of A Gathering of Sons and in Ernest McCarthy’s Dinah, a musical on the life of jazz legend Dinah Washington, all directed by Mark Clayton Southers.  Les also produced and hosted his own local public access variety television show entitled The Howard Entertainment Showcase.  Les is also an accomplished jazz singer and can be seen performing at many of the jazz venues here in Pittsburgh.  Les is currently featured with the Jazz band Jazzmania, headed by bandleader Art Crivella.  Les is thrilled to be performing in yet another August Wilson production.

Saniya Lavelle (Raynell) is a talented young artist attending Pittsburgh Creative And Performing Arts (CAPA). A passionate writer, actor, dancer, and singer, she aspires to become both an author and an actress. Saniya is a proud member of the Alumni Theater Company (ATC). In addition to performing original plays with ATC, Saniya has portrayed Zonia Loomis in Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.

In 2024, she appeared as Young Nettie and Young Olivia in Pittsburgh CLO’s production of The Color Purple. Earlier this year, she brought history to life as Ruby Bridges in Look Forward: The Ruby Bridges Story. Saniya is thrilled to be part of this latest August Wilson production and work with the talented cast and crew of the Pittsburgh Playwright Theatre Company.  

Sam Lothard (Bono) aka Big Sam: Youngstown/Campbell Ohio. Sam is a veteran of Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater, having done over twenty shows through the years. Sam considers it a blessing to have performed with many theater companies throughout Pittsburgh tackling roles from some historical writers such as Shakespeare, Dr. Maya Angelou, John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, and of course his favorite, August Wilson. Sam is slowly creeping up on all ten plays in the cycle. Wish him luck. In between shows, Sam stays in creative mode by writing, acting, singing, directing, and working as part of a team on the RSM Project, putting out short films while working with other creatives. Please send good vibes and love and prayers his way as he manifests his Dreams into Reality. Put God First. Shoot your shot. Chase your Dreams. (Cedar Point)

Karla C. Payne (Rose) is an actor, voice-over artist, and poet who has appeared in countless productions for several theater companies, including The Barnstormers Theatre (New Hampshire), The City Theatre, New Horizon Theater, and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Company, where she most recently appeared as Oni Wise in the 2025 productions of Art of Wise, written by Mark Clayton Southers, and Sanctified, written and directed by Javon Johnson from The Oval. Karla also notably portrayed Beverly Jenkins in Chicken and Biscuits, produced by New Horizon Theater in spring 2023, and was featured in a film short entitled As I Please, scored by the Grammy Award-winning Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. In 2023, Karla launched her company, InnerVizions Coaching & Wellness LLC, providing performance and life coaching for actors. She has also written an ebook entitled The Zen Actor’s Guide: Unleashing Your Inner Confidence for Fearless Performances. Karla is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the Pittsburgh chapter of The Pierians, Incorporated.

Creative Team & Staff

Playwright	August Wilson
Director	Terrence Spivey
Stage Manager	Michele Lee Betts
1st Assistant Stage Manager	Nyla J. Betts
2nd Assistant Stage Manager	Phoenix Thomas
Costume Designer	Mils James
Sound Designer	Ben Cain
Lighting Designer, Master Electrician	Tony Clayton
Prop Master	Sarah “Gracie” Jackson
Props	Austin Sills
Scenic Designer	Tony Ferrieri
Scenic Construction	Marcus Carl Southers, Rickey Odell & Mark Southers
Scenic Painters	Ernest Bey, Darnell Chambers

About the Creative Team

August Wilson (Playwright, April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) authored Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Fences, Two Trains Running, Jitney, King Hedley II, and Radio Golf. These works explore the heritage and experience of the descendants of Africans brought to North America, decade by decade, over the course of the twentieth century.

These plays form a compilation entitled The American Century Cycle. Mr. Wilson’s plays have been produced on Broadway, at regional theaters across the country and all over the world. In 2003, he made his professional stage debut in his one-man show, How I Learned What I Learned. His works garnered many awards including Pulitzer Prizes for Fences (1987) and for The Piano Lesson (1990); a Tony Award for Fences; Great Britain’s Olivier Award for Jitney and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, as well as seven New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running, Seven Guitars, and Jitney. Additionally, the cast recording of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom received a 1985 Grammy Award, and Mr. Wilson received a 1995 Emmy Award nomination for his screenplay adaptation of The Piano Lesson. Mr. Wilson’s early works included the one-act plays The Janitor, Recycle, The Coldest Day of the Year, Malcolm X, The Homecoming, and the musical satire Black Bart and the Sacred Hills. Mr. Wilson received many fellowships and awards, including the Rockefeller and Guggenheim Fellowships in Playwriting, the Whiting Writers Award, 2003 Heinz Award, was awarded the 1999 National Humanities Medal by President Bill Clinton, and received numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities, as well as the only high school diploma ever issued by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. He was an alumnus of New Dramatists, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a 1995 inductee into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and on October 16, 2005, Broadway renamed the theater located at 245 West 52nd Street – The August Wilson Theatre. Today, he is considered one of America’s finest playwrights. New York Public Radio recorded all ten plays in The American Century Cycle at the Greene Space, casting many of the actors that worked on the original productions. PBS aired a documentary on Mr. Wilson entitled The Ground On Which I Stand, as part of the American Masters series. A feature film adaptation of Fences released in 2016 was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and received many more awards. Mr. Wilson was born and raised in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and lived in Seattle, Washington at the time of his death in 2005. He is immediately survived by his two daughters, Sakina Ansari and Azula Carmen Wilson, and his wife, costume designer Constanza Romero, who is the executor of his estate.

Terrence Spivey (Director) Former artistic director at Karamu House, the oldest black theatre in the country. He studied theatre at Prairie View A & M University in Texas and continued honing his acting at William Esper Studios in New York City. As an actor he has appeared in soaps, music videos, indie films and performed on stages such as the National Black Theatre, Lincoln Center Theatre Lab, Sanford Meisner Theatre and Michael Chekhov Theatre.

Spivey is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the HistoryMakers. He is a 2018 Alan Schneider Directors Award nominee, 2017 Best Director and 2005 Best Theatre Honcho by Cleveland Scene. He was given a proclamation in 2010 by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson for his artistic contributions. He garnered multiple awards at Karamu and the institution was given Repertory Company of the Year in 2013 by AUDELCO in New York City. He directed plays such as Dream on Monkey Mountain (2006 Best Production), The Blacks: A Clown Show (2008 Best Drama), Fences, for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Master Harold and the Boys, The Color Purple and The Wiz. Since leaving Karamu: Breath, Boom, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (2018 Chandelier Best Drama Akron), Neighbors, Bootycandy (2016 Top 10 Plain Dealer), Radio Golf, The Phoenix Society, Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act, Live Bodies For Sale, and the nationally acclaimed Objectively/Reasonable: A Community Response to the Shooting of Tamir Rice, 11/22/14 at Playwrights Local which appeared on NPR.

In 2022, Spivey directed Bourbon at the Border at Allegheny College, and Seven Guitars at The Ohio State University in 2024.

He was commissioned in 2022 to write and direct An Ocean in My Bones, a historical play about the last slave ship, the Clotilda, in Mobile, Alabama, by the Clotilda Descendant Association. He was the 2024 recipient of the Preserving Truth in Education Award by the national social justice organization Color of Change, and selected for Who’s Who in Cleveland in 2023. Also in 2023, he served on a “State of American Theatre” panel at Indiana University. In 2024, Spivey was selected as Dramatists Guild Foundation Roe Green Visiting Voices Ambassador and in 2025 received the Tamir Rice Appreciation Award. Most recently, Spivey directed a work in development on Zora Neale Hurston for the Zora Neale Hurston Summit at Barnard College in New York City.

He has worked with the likes of Ruby Dee, Bill Cobbs, Ntozake Shange, Regina Taylor, Dianne McIntyre, Richard Brooks, Leslie Uggams, Spike Lee, Frank Vincent, Durand Bernarr, Marcus Martin, Peter Lawson Jones, Kim Sullivan, Gregory Lamberson, Javon Johnson, and Mississippi Charles Bevel. Spivey has appeared in numerous publications: American Theatre, Backstage, The New York Times, Ebony, Artist and Influence. He is featured in the book Black Theatre, City Life and PBS’s Karamu: 100 Years in the House.

Spivey is the founding artistic director for Powerful Long Ladder and The Ultimate Reach, an arts outreach program for youth and adults. He also provides theatre arts workshops at Life Exchange Center for Mental Health in Cleveland, OH.

He would like to thank Mark Clayton Southers, his Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company and The August Wilson House for bringing him aboard to be a part of the groundbreaking American Century Cycle Experience with a wonderful cast and creative team.

Michele Lee Betts (Stage Manager) With a career spanning 20+ years, Michele Lee Betts is a respected production and stage manager at theaters across Pittsburgh, where she transforms creative visions into resonant, community-anchored realities. Known for her meticulous orchestration of over 100 live performances, she harmonizes the unseen mechanics of theater—logistics, lighting, and team leadership—into seamless productions that achieve 95% audience satisfaction and 25% growth in ticket sales.

Beyond the stage, Michele is a cultural consultant and advocate for arts equity, crafting strategic frameworks for 15+ nonprofits that amplify outreach and education. She has stewarded millions in budgets, negotiated cost-saving contracts without compromising artistry, and fostered interdisciplinary partnerships that boost participation by 30%—all while ensuring every backstage meal and front-of-house interaction reflects the warmth of her “artist-first” philosophy.

At the intersection of precision and passion, Michele’s work is driven by a belief that live art is a catalyst for social change. Whether mentoring crews of 15+, collaborating with global artists, or curating events that center marginalized voices, she builds bridges between logistics and magic—one show, one community, at a time.

Nyla J. Betts (1st Assistant Stage Manager) is an Assistant Stage Manager with Production at its Betts. She holds a passion for live performance and behind-the-scenes coordination. Known for attention to detail, strong communication, and calm under pressure, she supports seamless productions from rehearsal to final curtain. With experience in cue calling, prop tracking, and cast management, Nyla J. thrives in fast-paced theatrical environments and is dedicated to keeping every show running smoothly.

Ernest Bey (Scenic Painter) has been a fixture on the art scene in Pittsburgh for well over 40 years, and in that time he has won many awards, most notable the Trailblazer award in 2010. He was inducted into the Westinghouse Wall of Fame in 2018, and most recently, received a commendation by councilman Khari Mosley, designating February 22, 2024 as Ernest Bey Day in the city of Pittsburgh. Ernest is a multitalented artist working in watercolor, jewelry making, and wood carving. Ernest credits his father’s words for his belief in himself. “My father told me to ‘let the ancestors speak through you’.”

Ben Cain (Sound Designer) is an actor and sound designer. He is a huge fan and family member of PPTCO who is always honored to work with this company and Mark Southers. As an actor he can be seen on many shows including Bel-Air on Peacock, Long Slow Exhale on Spectrum/BET, Buried in Barstow on Lifetime, American Rust 2 on Amazon Prime and Beacon 23 on MGM+. Doing sound design is a passion that has grown over the years and he looks forward to doing more.

Tony Ferrieri (Scenic Designer) Fences marks Tony’s seventh production with Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Company. Awards and milestones include The Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award for Established Artist,  New Works Festival Lifetime Achievement Award,  “Designer of the Year” by Pittsburgh City Paper and Post-Gazette, The Frankel Award, Fred Kelly Award for Outstanding Achievement,  Harry Schwalb Excellence in the Arts Award,  features in Live Design and Stage Directions magazines, 43 years as Resident Scenic Designer at City Theatre, and over 580 scenic designs. Recent designs include: King James for Cleveland Playhouse and City Theatre, Crocodile Fever and The Skeleton Crew for barebones productions, The Bluegrass Mile for Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, The Coffin Maker for Pittsburgh Public Theater, Southside Stories Revisited and Native Gardens for City Theatre Company, Hamlet and The Current War for Quantum Theatre, Anything Goes for Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Book of Merman and Double Threat Trio for CLO Cabaret, Smart Blonde for 59E59 Theatre in New York, Feeding the Dragon for Hartford Stage and Primary Stages,  Carousel and Clue for Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center, Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Thou Shalt Not for Pittsburgh Playhouse Conservatory. In addition Tony designed the Liberty Magic space for The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and an escape room in Enter the Imaginarium for Bricolage.

Phoenix Thomas (2nd Assistant Stage Manager; they/them) is a dynamic creative writer and theatre artist with extensive experience in stage management. This is their first time working on an August Wilson show, as well as working with Pittsburgh Playwrights.

PPTCO Staff and Board

See our staff and board members here.

Special Thanks

Rob Long, Clear Story
Bruce Yoch
Momar Milliones
Jalill Curges
Mark Nelson
Andre Joseph Clayton Southers
Kyren Munnerlyn

Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company thanks the following for supporting our season of plays and special projects:

We also thank our donors! Click for a complete list, and learn how to become a PPTCO donor.

Printed program design and editing by Michelle Belan.
Online program design and editing by Steven Doerfler.

“August Wilson’s Fences” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Originally Produced on Broadway by Carole Shorenstein Hays, in association with Yale Repertory Theatre.
World Premiere at Yale Repertory Theatre (Lloyd Richards, Artistic Director; Benjamin Mordecai, Managing Director); Second Production at The Goodman Theatre (Robert Falls, Artistic Director; Roche Schulfer, Managing Director). Initially given a staged reading at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference.