‘Fences’ at Bat at Pittsburgh Playwrights (Wed., 8/20/25)

August 18, 2025/Mike Vargo

He's a heavy hitter, even with two strikes against him. Actor Kevin Brown is Troy Maxson in 'Fences' at Pittsburgh Playwrights. — He’s a heavy hitter, even with two strikes against him. Actor Kevin Brown is Troy Maxson in ‘Fences’ at Pittsburgh Playwrights.

August Wilson’s Fences is a drama about a hard man dealing with hard times. In the production that won the 1987 Tony for Best Play while also securing a Pulitzer Prize, James Earl Jones acted the role of Troy Maxson, a former baseball star turned garbage collector. The play is set during the 1950s, when Troy still looks back ruefully to his glory days as a player in the Negro Leagues. He’s sure he could have made it to the major leagues if the color barrier (the majors were slow to integrate) hadn’t gotten in the way. Then again, it’s possible that Troy’s criminal record and his age after serving a prison term might have been a factor. It’s possible, too, that Troy shouldn’t try to protect his teenage son from race-based failure by squelching the kid’s dream of a college football scholarship. Troy sometimes creates more problems than he solves, but the fire and the liveliness that he and the people around him display make Fences a great play, despite its not-so-happy ending. Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company presents Fences with Kevin Brown as Troy. Through September 6 outdoors at the August Wilson House. 7 p.m. 1727 Bedford Ave., Upper Hill District.

Also, please note that Fences is part of a three-play August Wilson festival at Pittsburgh Playwrights. See our preview on the festival for info on the other plays running concurrently.