August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone comes to the IRT

The Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) is bringing Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, presented by the Indianapolis Foundation, to the stage. The play, coproduced with Syracuse Stage, runs from January 27 through February 22 on the OneAmerica Financial Stage. This production is directed by Timothy Douglas, who is the recipient of the Lloyd Richards Director Award from the National Black Theatre Festival and serves as associate artist and board member of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. 

Set at a Pittsburgh boardinghouse in 1911, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone examines the lives of descendants of formerly enslaved African Americans who have traveled North, searching for new jobs and new beginnings. At the center of the play is Herald Loomis, who is searching for his lost wife and a sense of his own identity. 

This American masterpiece first premiered in 1986 (from Concord Theatricals site) and has been nominated for and won numerous awards throughout its production history. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone “is one of the greatest plays of American theatre—of world theatre,” said IRT’s Resident Dramaturg Richard J Roberts. “Earthy, profound, mysterious, deeply spiritual, and a little bit magical, this play will touch your soul.” 

The production features a talented cast and crew from around the country with a long history of Broadway, Off-Broadway, film, and TV credits. This includes actors Keith Randolph Smith (Seth Holly) and Shane Taylor (Herald Loomis), Tony Cisek (Scenic Designer), and Timothy Douglas all marking their returns to the IRT. 

The Theatre will host supplemental programming during the run of the show, including a Community Conversation, featuring IRT Community Ambassadors, historians, community elders, and cultural workers; Artist Conversations that provide a behind-the-scenes perspective on the production with the actors, directors, and designers who bring the show to life; and an American Sign Language / Audio Described performance. 

Tickets are available now for August Wilson’s Joe Turner's Come and Gone, presented by the Indianapolis Foundation.