Accessible Audiencing: 2 Trains Running by August Wilson
Sunday, August 24 | BAM House | 1540 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612
Experience 2 Trains Running by August Wilson with access built into the heart of the performance. This special event is part of the Black Arts Movement Business District Festival and a co-production of Calling Up Justice and the BAMBD Festival in partnership with the Lower Bottom Playaz.
For this production, we’ve partnered with Disability Justice Culture Club, and The Center for Independent Living, to purchase ticket blocs for disabled audience members and SF Disability Culture Center spread the word.
Access Features for This Performance
- ASL Interpretation
- Masks Required
- PPE Table with free masks and COVID tests
- Low Sensory Space for anyone needing a quiet retreat
- Audio Descriptions of main characters’ outfits, scenes, and stage
- Social Story: a plain language guide to the play, the space, and what to expect or discover
About Accessible Audiencing
Accessible Audiencing is a Calling Up Justice program that brings access-centered planning to cultural events. We provide site visits, coordinate with partners, arrange access services, and help with audience development — so everyone can participate fully. If you want to bring Accessible Audiencing to your production, contact us here.
Accessible Audiencing is more than accommodations — it’s a community-powered approach to attending cultural events together with dignity, safety, and joy.
Join us on August 24 at BAM House and experience what access-forward theater feels like.
https://www.lowerbottomplayaz.com/BAM-House.php
https://www.bambdfest.com/About.php
Audio Description
This audio track provides descriptions of main characters’ outfits, scenes, and and set. Audio Describer: Azul Azul
About the play 2 Trains Running
Written by August Wilson. Set in 1969 – Pittsburgh Hill District. An ex-con shows up at Memphis Lee’s diner looking for a fresh start. a space on the brink of demolition. This play focuses on the lives of regulars at Memphis Lee’s diner as they navigate the changing landscape of the Civil Rights era. The play explores themes of economic hardship, racial tensions, and the impact of urban renewal on a close-knit African American community, particularly as the diner is slated for demolition.
About Lower Bottom Playaz
We Art
The primary purpose of the Lower Bottom Playaz, Inc (LBP) is to foster the creation, production, and presentation of quality theater in the tradition of the Black Arts continuum. LBP is dedicated to the excavation, critical examination, and illumination of the conditions of North American cities and the lived realities of disenfranchised communities through the creation of original works, production of material available from the North American African canon, and the works of artists considered marginalized and/or whose works center Blackness. We employ artists to perform, create work, present work, and train youth in theater arts. We concentrate on the presentation and creation of work from a Black lens that connects us to the universal in the human condition, and enables dialogues that engage perceptions of difference, and issues of concern for the family human. LBP purposefully use performance as a way of increasing social awareness, providing an entry point to community concerns, as well as to stimulate, celebrate and enhance understanding of ourselves and others through the shared experience of live theatre. LBP utilizes the arts to create a more conscious and compassionate public sphere, as well as to inspire, nurture, challenge, educate and empower artists and audiences. We intend to foster more conscious and compassionate communities, to inspire in all of us the willingness to explore new ideas, and to generate dialogues concerning class, the social order, and equity for all. Our intentions are to entertain, inform, and educate, thereby enriching all we engage and adding value to the cultural fabric of the spaces we enliven.
Social Story: Accessible Audiencing: BAMBDFEST
a plain language guide to the play, the space, and what to expect or discover
About the Play
- The play is set in Pittsburgh in 1969 during the Civil Rights era.
- It takes place in Memphis Lee’s diner, a community spot where people eat, argue, and dream.
- The building is about to be torn down, and everyone must face changes in their lives and neighborhood.
- The play explores community, racism, money struggles, and dignity.
About the Theater Space
The performance is at the Black Arts Movement (BAM) House, located at 1540 Broadway in Downtown Oakland.
- Outside the building:
- The front is painted bright red and black with green trim.
- Above the doors, you’ll see words like Theater, Film, Music, Dance, Art, Comedy.
- The entrance has green framed glass doors.
- Lobby area:
- You will enter through the glass doors.
- The lobby has places to sit, posters about events, and doors leading into the theater.
- The doors on the right side of the lobby lead directly to the theater space.
- Inside the theater:
- This is a black box theater, which means the walls are painted black and the space can change for each show.
- There are about 100 seats.
- The first two rows have soft green cushioned lounge chairs.
- Behind them, there are black folding chairs in rows up a staircase platform.
- Ushers will help you find your seat.
What to Expect During the Show
- The stage set will look like a diner: tables, chairs, a counter, and other details from the 1960s.
- The actors will play regular people in the neighborhood. Sometimes they will joke, sometimes argue, sometimes share stories.
- The story has moments that are funny, emotional, and sometimes serious or sad.
- The play uses realistic everyday language, which may include strong words.
- The show will last about 2 ½ to 3 hours with a break in the middle (intermission).
- During intermission, you can use the restroom, stretch, or step outside.
Accessibility and Comfort
- You can arrive early to get comfortable in the space.
- There will be a table with PPE and free masks
- If you need help, staff and ushers are available.
- You can leave the theater at any time if you need a break and return quietly.
- The theater is intimate, so you will be close to the actors.