Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation's preeminent African American theatre, announced today that their production of Radio Golf will travel to The August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Pittsburgh, PA to participate in the "Aunt Ester Cycle." The cycle will run November 10 - 22, 2009.
Penumbra's 2009-2010 season opener, Radio Golf by
August Wilson, directed by Lou Bellamy, will be staged in the "Aunt Ester Cycle" on November 14, and November 15, 2009. The cast includes Penumbra Company members, Terry Bellamy,
James Craven, Abdul Salaam El Razzac, Austene Van, and Kevin D. West.
"We are honored to participate in the first theatrical endeavor of the new
August Wilson Center," said Lou Bellamy, Penumbra artistic director and founder. "What excites me most, is to be able to share our work with other black theater companies and to do his very last play in Pittsburgh for that community-the community where he set the majority of his plays."
The "Aunt Ester Cycle" explores the dramatic impact of this legendary character through productions of Gem of the Ocean by The St. Louis Black Repertory; Two Trains Running by Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company; Radio Golf by Penumbra Theatre Company (St. Paul) and The Women of the Hill, an original performance created partly in Pittsburgh's historic Hill District by theatrical innovator Ping Chong. The two-week event also includes two symposia: The Legend of Aunt Ester and reConstructing King Hedley II.
"Apart from the National Black Theatre Festival, it is rare for this number of
August Wilson plays to be presented in one series," says Shay Wafer, the Center's vice president of programs. "We welcome two of the nation's notable directors in black theater - Ron Himes, of the St. Louis Black Repertory, and Lou Bellamy, of Penumbra Theatre Company, founders of these companies - who represent a generation of trailblazers in their field. Joining them is Pittsburgh's own Mark Clayton Southers of the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, the next generation to carry on this legacy."
Theatergoers can sit a spell with Aunt Ester, the "washer of souls," whose character is part of multiple plays in
August Wilson's 20th Century Cycle. He proclaimed the centuries-old matriarch his most significant character. Aunt Ester brings to life a key Wilson idea: The need for African Americans to move forward into the future through embracing their past.
Penumbra produced
August Wilson's very first professional production, Black Bart and the Sacred Hills and went on to produce more of Wilson's plays than any other theatre in the world. With the production of Radio Golf, Penumbra has now staged all ten plays of Wilson's 20th Century Cycle.
Tickets for "The Aunt Ester Cycle" range from $18 to $28 per play; $10 per symposium; and $85.50 for all four plays plus the symposia series. For tickets, call 412.456.6666 or visit pgharts.org. For groups of 10 or more, call 412.471.6930.
About Penumbra Theatre
Penumbra was founded in 1976 by Lou Bellamy to make socially responsible art - art that demanded a response, art with intent, art that could create change. At a time when roles for black artists were limited to stereotypes and comical representations, Penumbra produced theater that roared with authenticity through the unrestrained and rich voice of black artists and playwrights. This respect for cultural authenticity became Penumbra's signature style - and demand for it has reached new heights from theatres around the country fostering collaborations, new productions, tours and awards. For the latest news, updates, and study guides visit www.penumbratheatre.org.
About the
August Wilson Center for African American Culture
Named for Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright and Hill District native August Wilson, the August Wilson Center for African American Culture engages regional and national audiences in its mission of preserving, presenting, interpreting, celebrating and shaping the art, culture and history of African Americans in Western Pennsylvania and people of African descent throughout the world.
Located in Downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District, the multidisciplinary August Wilson Center is reflective of all aspects of African American culture. The Center's striking, two-story, green building houses seven exhibition galleries, a 486-seat theater for performances in all disciplines, an education center, a café and gift shop, and multipurpose spaces for community programs and events. The Center is among a select few African American cultural institutions presenting visual and performing arts, the humanities and educational programs in a state-of-the-art venue.
More information is available on the Center's Web site at AugustWilsonCenter.org and by calling 412.258.2700.
About
August Wilson (1945-2005)
August Wilson was a prolific playwright who eloquently chronicled African American life. A Pittsburgh native, his most celebrated achievement is his 20th Century Cycle-ten plays, each set in a different decade. Nine of the 10 plays are set in Pittsburgh's Hill District, where Wilson spent his youth and early adulthood. Each play depicts the love, lives, comedies, triumphs and tragedies of the African American experienc
E. Wilson was the first African American to have two plays running simultaneously on Broadway and is one of seven
American Playwrights to win two Pulitzer Prizes. He also won Broadway's Tony Award.
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