The remarkable version of Jitney in Italian finished up three days of captivating sold-out Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre audiences on Sunday, ending a quick American tour that celebrated the years-long journey that carried the production from Vicenza, Italy, to August Wilson’s hometown.
Carl Kurlander led a University of Pittsburgh crew to Vincenza, Italy, in 2024, to document the first production of August Wilson’s “Jitney” in Italian. With that production arriving in Pittsburgh this coming Friday, May 8, presented by Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre and the August Wilson House, Kurlander shares his experiences chronicling the production with onStage Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company has revealed a four-play 2026 season, including a premiere by award-winning playwright a.k. payne, while also co-hosting a unique international take on August Wilson’s Jitney. The four-play season of premieres — Ty Greenwood’s “The Paradox of Education,” “10,000 Rides” by Cynthia Dallas, “Fishy Woo Woo, Part 2” by Monteze Freeland, and “BURNBABYBURN: an american dream by a.k. payne — plus two add-on productions was curated by Monteze Freeland. Next year, the two add-ons to the season are the Italian translation of “Jitney” and the return of “A Dinah Washington Christmas.”
