This was a rather unique experience in that the director, Steve Broadnax, was unable to attend the first week of rehearsals so I, in my role as the dramaturge, helped to keep the rehearsal process on track. During the first week, Steve attended the rehearsals via video conference while I shared a formal dramaturge presentation to the cast, fielded questions and did additional research based on the queries from the cast.  

Jitney is one of the 10 plays from the Wilson Cycle. It tells the story of a neighborhood in the Hill district of Pittsburgh still recovering from the devastation of the 1950 urban renewal project while at the plays onset which is now in the 70's, the community is set to be hit by a second wave of renewal. Becker, the gypsy cab jitney stand owner must make a decision to stand his ground and not sell or throw in the towel and go with the times. 

• Hart's Role: Production Dramaturge

• Play: Jitney by August Wilson

• Director: Steve Broadnax 

• Producer: Hattiloo Theatre 

• Location: Memphis TN

• Rehearsal Dates: March 13 - April 18, 2018

• Production Dates:  April 20 - May 13, 2018

 Becker’s Rules: The Men in Jitney Navigate “the rules” in Post-Civil Rights America 

According to Sandra Shannon, as stated in her seminal work on Wilson, “The Dramatic Vision of August Wilson”, there are 3 kinds of men in Jitney: hopeful, defeated and warriors. The central character Becker represents the defeated, Youngblood represents the hopeful and Booster represents the warrior. 

However, in the play, all of the characters navigate within the variations of “the rules” of social engagement created by the broken promises of the post-civil rights era America. 

The play starts out introducing us to Becker’s Rules. The prominent stage direction tells us that Becker’s rules are: 

1)    No overcharging, 2) Keep car clean, 3) No drinking, 4) Be courteous 5) Replace and Clean Tools

Through this list of rules, we gain insight as to how Becker views the world around him and himself. We learn a lot about how he approaches life. Clearly, he believes rules have value. That rules help create standards and support the creation of an orderly society. And finally, that when you play by the rules you’re more likely to achieve a desired outcome. 

However, as the play unfolds, Becker confronts the unspoken question “What’s the cost of always playing by the rules?” 

Some of the variations of “the rules” of social engagement that the characters confront the consequences of, are: 

·      The White man’s rules

·      Playing by the rules

·      Breaking the rules

·      Living by the rules

·      Rebelling against the rules

·      Making the rules

·      Bending the rules

·      Ignoring the rules 

·      Defying the rules

·      Relying on the rules

The play has dual conflicts. The first is the pending precursor to gentrification, the latest wave of urban renewal, threatens the jitney driver’s loss of their “second home”, Becker’s jitney station. The second conflict centers around the eruptive tension between Becker and his son Booster, who is newly released from jail after serving 20 years for murder. 

Becker represents the defeated man who has lived by the white man’s rules to the detriment of his own personhood and how he put pressure on his son to do the same. 

When his son decides to both break the rules and rebel against the rules which results in him deciding to live by his own rules, Becker is enraged to the point that he refuses to visit his son for the entire 20 years he’s incarcerated. 

Thus, Becker’s rigid adherence to what some would call “integrationist” ideology, separates him from his only male heir and bounds him to an existence weighed down by bitterness.  

About a quarter of the way through the play, in Act one scene 2, Becker shows signs of no longer accepting the weight that his choices have placed on his life: 

“I’m just tired Doub. Can’t hardly explain it none. You look up one day and all you got left is what you ain’t spent. Every day cost you something and you don’t all the time realize it.” 

In other words, Becker has begun to give some thought to the central question of his life at this point, “Has it been worth it to live his life playing by the white man’s rules?” 

Becker is viewed as a leader in the community by everyone.  However, his personal view of himself has been colored by thoughts of failure as a parent and his inability to maintain the freedom to create a life unbounded by the white man’s rules. 

The concept of rules looming over the lives of the motley crew of jitney drivers is poignantly bookended at the end of the play with Becker’s speech in Act 2 Scene 2: 

“I talked to Tanenhill about renting the place down on Center what used to be Siegal’s egg store. We can do that. Or we can try to get on with another station. We can go on and play by their rules like we have been. When I first come along I tried to do everything right. I figured that was the best thing to do. Even when it didn’t look like they was playing fair I told myself they would come around. Time it look like you got a little something going for you they would change the rules.”

Inspired by his son, the warrior spirit bubbles to the top and in this speech Becker shares that he’s recognized the error of his ways and he’s no longer to live by the white man’s rules. Instead, he’s willing to defy those rules and create a life on his own terms.  His renewed warrior spirt infects the jitney drivers and the energy of hope, change and possibility are felt by all. 

In the final scene of the play we find out that in a freak accident Becker has died. After Becker’s triumphant speech about fighting the system and retaining the jitney stand, the men are both sad and despondent. Once again uncertain about the future, the play ends with the warrior Booster, or “Becker’s Boy” answering the phone perhaps an indication that the jitney stand will fight to live on.