Penumbra Theatre Co Presents RADIO GOLF, Runs Through 10/25

Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation's preeminent African American theatre, proudly presents Radio Golf written by August Wilson, directed by Lou Bellamy. This production is a regional premiere, and will run through October 25, 2009.

Set in 1997, Radio Golf tells the story of Harmond Wilks who wants to become Pittsburgh's first black mayor. His ticket to win the election rides on redeveloping the "Hill District," the neighborhood he grew up in. But when the past begins to catch up with him, secrets get revealed that could be his undoing. Harmond discovers that victory will come with a price.

Starring: James Craven (Harmond Wilks), Austene Van (Mame Wilks), Kevin D. West (Roosevelt Hicks), Terry Bellamy (Sterling Johnson), and Abdul Salaam El Razzac (Elder Joseph Barlow).

With Radio Golf, August Wilson turned his eyes toward the 1990s, a decade in which the gap between generations of black Americans was more evident than ever. The world Wilson depicts is one of individual concern, where people are willing to sacrifice cultural and communal health to secure individual wealth. The community is displaced. In order to bring the people together, something significant must happen, something to unite the people under a common banner of shared history. The Hill District needs a prophet, and throughout Radio Golf, one wonders whether Harmond Wilks might be that man.

Wilson finished Radio Golf in 2005, completing his project to chronicle the African American experience decade by decade throughout the 20th century. In April of that year the play premiered at Yale Repertory Theatre. Six months later, on October 2, 2005, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright died. He had finished the ten-play cycle he set out to write, leaving his legacy-unparalleled in history-intact.

Penumbra proudly presents this play as part of its commitment to stage all ten of August Wilson's plays that chronicle black American life decade by decade. The experience of race in America is epic, inexhaustible and as Wilson proved through ten plays examining the African American experience, still significantly relevant to our contemporary lives.

In 2007, Penumbra launched the cycle with The Piano Lesson and Gem of the Ocean, and in 2008 produced the critically acclaimed Fences. This season opens with Radio Golf.

Director Lou Bellamy states, "This great playwright, who found muses in his friends and fellow company members at Penumbra, took up the mantle to create stories and characters that were worthy of the black people he knew, of the richness of the culture he saw. Penumbra is honored to host Wilson's 20th Century Cycle and offer audiences the opportunity to witness the work of a great writer staged by the artists he regarded so highly-and to rediscover a century of American life."

PENUMBRA THEATRE 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 and updates, visit www.penumbratheatre.org.

 

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