This Friday, Miller Auditorium will host the national tour of August Wilson’s play, Two Trains Running, featuring Western Michigan University (WMU) alumnus Chuckie Benson in the role of Hambone.
Benson, who was raised in Lansing, MI and graduated from Western Michigan University with a BFA in Music Theatre Performance, tells Cara Lieurance about the significance of the play and his experiences on the tour. His respect for playwright August Wilson has only deepened. “Being a Black queer man, it hits home for me because in his work, I see my people, I see my family. That’s how we connect. And it’s just real, it’s just real life because it is our experiences in some way, shape or form.”
Two Trains Running is the seventh play in Wilson’s 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle, each depicting the Black American experience in a different decade of the 20th century. Set in a Pittsburgh diner, the play explores themes of community, economic struggle, and the fight for justice during a time of social unrest. “So Memphis [the main character], he owns this diner. And the city wants to tear down, but they don’t want to give him his price that he wants,” Benson explains. “They want to give him the price that they want. And so this play is really about getting our just due.”
The cast visited the Hill District in Pittsburgh, the setting for Wilson’s plays, to add to their understanding of the material. “We walked the streets. Like we saw his childhood home. We saw 1839 Wiley where Aunt Esther is based,” Benson says. “It was like we were being transported back.”
Benson emphasized the importance of bringing plays like “Two Trains Running” to communities across the country. “I am hoping that more plays get done because people need to see these plays that are on Broadway or that have been on Broadway,” he said. “Like they need to see these things. I’m glad that I am a part of this repertory company to do things that are not done. And to hit cities, especially my home, that haven’t gotten this yet.”
Tickets for Two Trains Running at Miller Auditorium are available at the Miller Auditorium website.
