The Penumbra’s Gem of the Ocean to open on the Guthrie stage

by August Wilson, Directed by Lou Bellamy
Penumbra Theatre and Guthrie Theatre

Gem of the Ocean begins August Wilson’s journey through his 10-play cycle dramatizing black life in America in each decade of the 20th Century. Wilson was able to complete this ambitious cycle before his death in 2005. Penumbra Theatre, a long time collaborator of Wilson’s, will take this same journey, presenting all 10 of Wilson’s major plays in the next 5 years. Penumbra has previously performed eight of the 10, several of them more than once.

In the 2007-2008 season, Penumbra’s presented the Pulitzer Prize winning The Piano Lesson. They will end the season with Gem of the Ocean.

Gem of the Ocean, while the 9th play written in the cycle, serves as the opening to the cycle. It is set 1904 Pittsburgh and becomes a “prequel” of sorts, introducing characters and the ancestors of characters who will populate later plays. By the time he wrote Gem of the Ocean, Wilson had reached a clarity about his main themes and purposes for the cycle. The play is a powerful drama that captures the culmination of Wilson’s thinking about the black experience in America.

This regional premiere of Gem of the Ocean is a joint venture between Penumbra Theatre and The Guthrie and will be presented at the Guthrie Theater on the McGuire Proscenium Stage.

Gem of the Ocean runs April 25 - May 18.

Visit the Penumbra for schedules and tickets: Penumbra Theatre