Lamman Rucker has had a busy month in a very busy year, but not too busy to come home to Pittsburgh and celebrate the birthday of a man he recalls as “Uncle Auggie.”
The 44-year-old actor, son of drummer Eric Rucker and whose mother, Malaya, worked with the Pittsburgh Black Theater Dance Ensemble, were part of the African-American creative community that included the late playwright August Wilson, who would have been 71 on April 27.
Mr. Rucker has forged a stage and Hollywood career that most recently includes the premiere of the OWN TV series “Greenleaf” last week at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The drama about an African-American family that runs a Memphis mega-church is produced and co-stars Oprah Winfrey. Mr. Rucker plays the heir to the dynastic family who, as he puts it, “is struggling to find his own power” among a family full of powerful, dynamic men and women. On Saturday, he was in Chicago for what has become an annual gig, hosting the gala for Common’s Common Ground Foundation that uses the creative arts to expose youth to new opportunities.
Where: August Wilson Center for African American Culture, Downtown.
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday; doors open at 6 p.m.
Admission: Free. Register at pghplaywrights.com.
On Tuesday, Mr. Rucker was on his way home.
He spoke by phone as he was about to board a plane to Pittsburgh, where he will visit with family and friends and perform in a reading of August Wilson’s “Jitney” Wednesday at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture.
“Pittsburgh is home, I was born there, and it will always have priority in that respect. And this is a special occasion, celebrating the birthday of August Wilson. My family goes way back with Uncle Auggie; he’s considered family. My mother and father were visionaries in Pittsburgh, part of that collective of people who were creative and active together, and I am a product of that community and those relationships,” Mr. Rucker said.
“It is an honor to come back and celebrate August Wilson’s legacy and give back to the community and continue that same creative energy. Maintaining their legacy is something I’ve always considered part of my responsibility.
He jumped at the chance to “sink my teeth into his work” when he was invited by Mark Clayton Southers of Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, where he previously performed selections of Mr. Wilson’s works in 2005. Mr. Rucker will play prodigal son Booster in “Jitney,” with Sala Udin as his father Becker.
He has never performed in “Jitney” and has seen it “only once or twice,” but he feels like he knows these characters. He remembers his grandmother giving him phone numbers of jitneys to call if he needed a ride from different parts of Pittsburgh.
“Uber is nothing new -- they are taking the same thing and adding the technology,” Mr. Rucker said. “The difference [with the characters in ‘Jitney’] is you feel like you know those people very well -- there’s a familiarity, a complicity, which makes this still one of the most significant and powerful of his plays for me.”
Besides Mr. Rucker and Mr. Udin, the cast includes Reggie Howze, Les Howard, Lonzo Green, Jonathan Berry, Genna Styles and Kevin Brown.
He hadn’t yet met with his castmates and wasn’t sure how much blocking they would do for the play, with only 24 hours to prepare.
“I trust Mark. It’s like assembling a little all-star team, and then you just have to show up and bring your A-game and know the others will be on top of theirs,” Mr. Rucker said. “Then you just wait for the sparks to fly.”
Besides participating in the reading and seeing his goddaughter graduate from Point Park University, Mr. Rucker hopes to attend the Hill District Block Party Saturday in honor of the work being done to restore the house where August Wilson grew up.
He has a bit of a hiatus before the end of next month, when he said “Greenleaf” will start work on a second 13-episode season. Among his recent film projects is “Service to Man,” co-starring his “Greenleaf” father, Keith David, in the story of the first white student to attend Meharry Medical College, in 1968.
He had a lot to say about his “Greenleaf” character, Jacob, and the power struggles within the family dynamic.
“He’s got some interesting influences, and he’s trying to keep up and carry his weight and live up to everyone’s expectations -- it’s a big challenge.”
From the outside looking in, Jacob is a man who would seem to have it all, but Mr. Rucker described a character whose inner turmoil will be slowly revealed. “He’s in a position trying to find his power and at the same time to do it his way, if he could.”
Before we get to know Jacob Greenleaf, though, Mr. Rucker is looking forward to talking Pittsburghers on a ride, August Wilson-style, with “Jitney.”
Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.
First Published: April 26, 2016, 9:28 p.m.
