FENCES February 15 through March 3, 2019 Cultivating theatre appreciation and education in our community Unum is proud to support the Chattanooga Theatre Centre. ©2017 Unum Group. All rights reserved. Unum is a registered trademark and marketing brand of Unum Group and its insuring subsidiaries. NS17-009 The Chattanooga Theatre Centre presents the first installment in August Wilson’s Century Cycle FENCES Stage Direction Scenic Design RICARDO C. MORRIS N. ERIC KNAUSS Costume Design Lighting Design TINITA COULTER JULIUS JAN MICHAEL JOHNSON Properties Master & Scenic Painter Production Stage Manager TARA McDOUGAL RODNEY STRONG Sound Design Crew TODD OLSON VINCENT LEMMONS ALYSSA ROBINSON Media Sponsor Our 2018-2019 season is dedicated to the memory of Thomas Alford. THE CAST (in order of appearance) Troy Maxson ....................................................... MATEEN MUHAMMAD EL Jim Bono, Troy’s friend ........................................ CARLOS DAVIS Rose, Troy’s wife ................................................. E’TIENNE F. EASLEY Lyons, Troy’s oldest son by a previous marriage ....... WILLIAM ELSTON Gabriel, Troy’s brother ......................................... JEFFREY PINKERTON Cory, Troy and Rose’s son .................................... CALEB GOLSON Raynell, Troy’s daughter ...................................... NYLA JACKS ACTION Set in Troy Maxon’s home in Pittsburgh’s Hill District between 1957 and 1965, Fences follows a 53-year-old man who struggles to provide for his wife and son in a time when slavery is over but the civil rights movement has still not come to fruition. Troy used to be an amazing baseball player, but was not able to make it to the Major Leagues due to the color of his skin. Troy has had to settle into the life of being a trash collector and barely scraping by. Wilson’s play deals with dreams deferred and what it means to be a man, as well as covering themes of family and loyalty. Most notably, we see a marriage that looks loving and successful, but then begins to fall apart as Troy’s lack of self-respect starts to crumble everything around him. Act One Scene 1: 1957, a Friday night Scene 2: The following morning Scene 3: Four hours later Scene 4: Friday, 2 weeks later There will be one 15-minute intermission. Act Two Scene 1: The following morning Scene 2: Six months later, early afternoon Scene 3: Evening, three days later Scene 4: Two months later Scene 5: 1965, morning Thanks to Our Friends & Supporters COME CLEAN ENTERTAINMENT Happy’s Shaved Ice Board of Directors Susan Harris, President Jennifer Nicely, 1st Vice President Scott Shaw, Secretary Treasurer Jim Kennedy, Immediate Past President Angie Griffin, Mitch Collins, John Echols, John Foy, Tom Griscom, Becki Jordan, Melissa Loyd, Jennifer Major, Pam Miller, Jordan Otis, Steve Ray, Darian Scott Board of Stewards Owen Allen, Jo Coke, Linda Harwell, Paula Henderson, James K. Steakley, Sonia Young Founded in 1923, the Chattanooga Theatre Centre is dedicated to enriching the cultural, intellectual, and emotional development of people of all ages by providing high-quality theatrical experiences and creating opportunities to engage in them. To join us in this mission, call 423.267.8534 or visit us at TheatreCentre.com to find out how you can take part. MEET THE CAST | FENCES CARLOS DAVIS (Jim Bono) was born and raised in Chattanooga, graduated from Brainerd High School, then earned a B.A. in Mass Communications/Radio & Television Production from Tennessee State University in Nashville. Stage credits include Out of Chattanooga: The Bessie Smith Story and Sorry, Wrong Number. Carlos is making his CTC debut. He relocated to Chattanooga in 2011 and enjoys outdoor activities, sports, acting, traveling, and music. He is employed by Pepsi Beverages Com- pany and the New Covenant Fellowship Church, where he is also a member. Carlos has been married to Mrs. Crystal Davis and has two children, Britanee and Christopher Foy. Carlos would like to thank Mr. Ricardo Morris for the opportunity to be a part of August Wilson’s Fences. “I can accept trying and failing, but I cannot accept failing to try.” E’TIENNE F. EASLEY (Rose) is a native of Inglewood, California, and started acting at the age of 16. Over the past 24 years, she has done many plays with Ensem- ble Theatre of Chattanooga (where she played the title role in an all-female production of Othello), Destiny Ensemble Theatre, Christal Entertainment, and CTC. Television credits include Fatal Attractions with Jupiter Entertainment and a commercial for the YMCA. She is grateful to the CTC for giving her this opportu- nity and is thrilled to work with such an amazing director and cast. Many thanks to her family and friends for their continuous support. Thank you theatre goers for supporting theatre. We exist because you are here! MATEEN MUHAMMAD EL (Troy Maxson) is a native of Chattanooga and began his acting career impersonating his then favorite influence: Tom Jones. High school audiences saw him perform as David Ruffin of the Temptations and -Bow zer of Sha Na Na. While in the Navy he was tasked with presenting the news, weather, and sports on CCTV while his ship was out to sea. His growing inter- est in stage and film came with intense study of actors like Samuel L. Jackson, Lawrence Fishburne, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and Denzel Washington. After returning to Chattanooga, his work in film and theatre began. Some credits include SUD, Witch Hunters Extraordinaire, Creatures of the Night, Project Phy, and The Raven, as well as a long-running commercial for Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park. CTC credits include CTC’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile, When It Rains, and The Laramie Project, as well as Jasper (The Colonnade Theatre) and Murder at the Miss Dixie Darling Pageant (Dinner Theatre in Chattanooga). WILLIAM ELSTON (Lyons) is a Chattanooga native making his CTC debut, having moved away to pursue music dreams and acting in 2004. Television credits include Law and Order SVU and Elementary (CBS). Film credits include Uncon- ditional (Netflix) and Barbershop 3 (with Ice Cube and Common). Stage credits include When A Woman’s Fed Up. William is the father of a beautiful daughter named Zoe Isabella Elston aka ZieZie. CALEB GOLSON (Cory) is also known by his stage name, Calebthepoet, and is a native of Chattanooga. Having only outlets that consisted of athletics during his early childhood years and through adolescence, Caleb did not fully embrace his creative and artistic side until he ventured into poetry and spoken word artistry at the age of 22. Not wanting to be limited to one form of artistic expression, Caleb has always been intrigued by acting and has performed in small church and school plays. Fences is his first involvement with a major theatrical produc- tion. He is grateful to CTC, Ricardo Morris, Mario Brooks, and last, but not least, his family that is filled with “creatives.” NYLA JACKS (Raynell) attends Lakeside Academy of Math, Science, and Technol- ogy. She is in the 3rd grade and her favorite subjects are reading and social stud- ies. Her passions include singing, dancing, and acting. Her parents say that at the age of five, Nyla pronounced, “I was born to entertain people.” She has excitedly uploaded videos to the internet for public viewing ever since. In her free time, she likes to read books and explore nature. This is Nyla’s theatrical debut. JEFFREY PINKERTON (Gabriel) is a father of nine (soon to be ten), so “I’m always acting in major roles!” Jeffrey’s credits include Blues for Mister Charlie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Bourbon at the Boarder, and a collection of other plays. “I give my acting credits to my beautiful mother Charlotte who set me on this path. Thanks to Ricardo Morris for believing in us!” MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM & CREW | FENCES TINITA COULTER (Costume Designer) was raised in Chattanooga and brought up admiring sewing through watching her mother. By high school she began modeling for Teen Revue. She later pursued her degree in Family and Con- sumer Science with a concentration in Design. While earning her degree, she interned at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre in the costume shop under the di- rection of Scott Dunlap. Since then, she has been volunteering as a seamstress in the shop. Serving as an advocate in the plus-size community, with a passion for beautifully adorning the woman’s body, Tinita started a custom-made garment business called Linka Exclusive Plus Size Fashions. Later, she started a live sewing session called Stitchin with Linka, allowing followers to see her stitch together her creations. Presently she has taken on the role of costume designer as she looks up to the great Ruth Carter for inspiration. JULIUS JAN MICHAEL JOHNSON (Lighting Designer) was born in Louisville, KY. After learning to play the violin at age three, his family moved to Tuskegee, where his love for music continued to grow. While there he also found his love for the technical side of theatre production. After graduating from the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Lighting Design, Julius earned his B.A. in Audio Engineering & Recording from The Art Institute. Julius has been doing technical theater and sound for well over 16 years, designing for plays as diverse as Twelfth Nightand Arabian Nights, to assisting with independent productions such as Speechless: The Musical. Julius also works regularly with the Chattanooga IATSE Union. Julius currently resides in Athens, TN, as co-owner of Middle Creek Studios & Volunteer Pyro with his partner of five years. Fences is Julius’ first major lighting design in Chattanooga. N. ERIC KNAUSS (Technical Director) has spent most of the last 25 years working full-time in theatre in the D.C. area. He started at The Studio Theatre in 1992, moved to the Round House Theatre in 1999, then to the Olney Theatre in 2009.