Sankofa partners with Gallo, stages Wilson’s ‘Fences’

After taking a year off, the Sankofa Theatre Company swings back onto the stage with a production of the play “Fences” this weekend.

Modesto’s first and only black theater company again has partnered with the Gallo Center for the Arts to present its next production. This will be its second production from Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright August Wilson. The first was “The Piano Lesson,” which was the theater company’s first show when it debuted in 2013.

Company CEO and co-founder John Ervin III said he wanted to return to Wilson’s work to show another era of African American life in America. While “The Piano Lesson” was set in the late 1930s, “Fences” takes place in the pre-modern civil rights era of the 1950s.

The play focuses on the life and family of Troy Maxson, who used to be a great baseball player but was barred from entering the major leagues because of his race. He now works as garbage man and has a son who aspired to go to college on a football scholarship.

“It chronicles the life of Troy Maxson and his struggle with his identity and racism,” Ervin said. “They can see the struggles of this family, given that Troy is trying to make a way for his family through his actions, rather than through his emotions. He tries to protect his family from racism and other societal ills by shielding them from it.”

Ervin was originally slated to play Troy, but fell down some stairs and broke his leg last month. He is still working behind the scenes on the production, but Greg Savage has stepped in to fill the role. The production also stars Adam Torrian as Troy’s son, Cory Maxson, and Bridget Brooks-Mack and Belinda Mauldin sharing the role as Troy’s wife, Rose Maxon. The actresses trade off with Brooks-Mack performing Friday-Saturday, Feb. 19-20, and Mauldin taking over for the final performance Sunday, Feb. 21. The show has a small cast of seven actors.

“Fences” took home the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award when it premiered in 1987. The Modesto production will be directed by longtime area theater supporter Tommie Muhammad. This will be his first time working with Sankofa but not his first experience with Wilson and his work. In the 1980s, Muhammad met Wilson while he was working in San Francisco on a pre-Broadway preview of “Fences.” The playwright gave Muhammad his copy of his script, because they were making changes before it moved on.

He still has the script, and over the years has always wanted to bring a production of “Fences” to the stage.

“August Wilson, if you are a theater lover, he just grabs your interest really quickly – particularly if you’re interested in African American culture,” Muhammad said. “To have them ask me to come and direct ‘Fences’ was an honor. To have an opportunity to direct this play and work with a lot of young people not familiar with that era, to give them a glimpse emotionally to that period of the time, is important.”

Muhammad said he is proud of what Sankofa has been able to accomplish since it was founded in 2012. The company has put on three productions: “The Piano Lesson” and “Freedom Riders” with the Gallo Center in 2013 and the opera “Tawawa House” with Townsend Opera in 2014.

Ervin said he he has been thrilled with the company’s ongoing collaboration with the Gallo Center and its arts education coordinator Jim Johnson.

“We are emphatically pleased. We are way ahead of where we thought we would be three and a half years from founding. We couldn’t be happier,” Ervin said. “The partnership with Gallo is a real testament to our growth and visibility. That partnership, that’s a prime example on how partnerships should work. We fit right into what Gallo is trying to do in the community and to reach a very diverse audience.”

Despite taking 2015 off from major productions, Ervin said Sankofa’s goal is to stage at least one show a year. This summer they plan to launch actors workshops for youths in west Modesto. Ervin also wants to start a readers theater program for students. The company currently has a pool of about 10 to 15 actors it works with regularly in the community.

“Creating the opportunities is really what we’re about, and the quality of our productions,” he said.

This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Sankofa partners with Gallo, stages Wilson’s ‘Fences’."