“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” a classic American play by August Wilson, is University Theatre’s latest production, opening Feb. 27.
Set in a Pittsburgh boarding house in 1911, the play captures the lives of Black migrants seeking new opportunities in the North during the Great Migration, as well as people running from their pasts.
Building on his acclaimed 2023 production of Wilson’s “Fences,” Baron Kelly, a Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the School of Education’s Department of Theatre and Drama, continues his creative and scholarly investigation of Wilson’s work as the director of this new production.
Kelly notes that Wilson considered the work his masterpiece — and his language gives voice to marginalized people, elevating their stories. Wilson’s characters may not be intellectuals, he explains in a recent Madison Magazine feature, “but it doesn’t mean they’re stupid. There’s a lot of wisdom in those folks. These people talk like older relatives that I’ve been around all my life.”
The rehearsal process has been marked by a spirit of generosity and collaboration, according to Kelly. The cast features Wisconsin Public Radio’s Norman Gilliland, a prominent local radio personality; Charls Hall, a core member of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts; NFL Super Bowl champion turned actor Dwight Hicks, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers; UW–Madison PhD candidate and lecturer Quanda Johnson; and Kelly himself.
These seasoned professional actors are performing alongside community members and students including Jenny Duarte Castillo, who is in her first year at UW–Madison pursuing a double major in theatre and drama and education.
Duarte Castillo plays the character of Maddie Campbell, who she explains is “a young woman in her early 20s longing for love and stability in her life.” She says the experience working with professional actors has been incredibly meaningful for her.
“It has offered me a firsthand look at the technique, discipline, and artistry required to succeed in the industry,” Duarte Castillo explains. “I’ve been both inspired and humbled, and my experience working alongside these actors has pushed me to refine my craft and build confidence in my abilities.”
Several other UW–Madison students and recent alumni are among the cast and crew. Undergraduates are serving as understudies for roles played by professional actors, offering them a unique opportunity to expand their skills.
“There is support, being able to open those students up. They’re coming up to my bar, which is pretty high, and it’s fabulous what they’re doing,” Kelly shares.
Kelly’s personal journey with music and theatre began at a young age, singing with the children’s chorus of the Metropolitan Opera. This early exposure to the musical world has deeply influenced his approach to directing and his appreciation for the musicality in Wilson’s work.
“His plays are like grand opera,” he says, “I mean, it’s opera rooted in the blues. Socially powerless people, but their stories bring to mind the gods of Wagner, the doomed royalty of Verdi.”
“The music of his prose connects the mundane with the mystical,” Kelly reflects, “and allows these earth-bound men and women to raise their voices that fly to heaven.”
“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” runs Feb. 27 – March 9 in the Ronald E. Mitchell Theatre in Vilas Hall (821 University Ave.). Full-price tickets are $28, with discounts available for children, seniors, and UW–Madison faculty, staff, and students. Thursday, Feb. 27, is “preview night,” and all tickets are $15 for that performance.
The Department of Theatre and Drama will also be hosting two special matinees that are expected to bring hundreds of students from Madison’s La Follette and Vel Phillips Memorial high schools, and Baraboo High School, to campus. These matinees provide a unique opportunity for students to experience live theatre and engage with the themes of the play, enriching their understanding of American history.
Kelly stresses that Wilson’s characters, though they may be downtrodden, are an important part of the fabric of history. He remarks, “African American history is a part of American history. This story is a part of American history.”
With this year marking the 20th anniversary of August Wilson’s death, it is a particularly meaningful time to revisit his work.
Get your tickets now at artsticketing.wisc.edu or by calling 608-265-2787.
Content Advisory: This play contains mature content and language, including racial slurs and depictions of violence.
This production is made possible by support from the Anonymous Block Grant, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and the Lorraine Hansberry Fund.