The playwright, August Wilson, won Pulitzer Prizes for two of his ten plays in what has become known as the “Century Cycle.” Each play tackles a decade of the African American experience during the 20th century. All but one take place in Pittsburgh, Wilson’s home town.
Wilson said of his work, “What I want to do is place the culture of Black America on stage, to demonstrate that it has the ability to offer sustenance.” In this course, we’ll feast on three of the plays in the cycle: “Gem of The Ocean” (1900s), “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” (1910s), and “The Piano Lesson” (1930s). Wilson completed the last play in the cycle, “King Hedley II,” when he was at Dartmouth as a Montgomery Fellow.
We’ll also discuss the movies Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1920s) and Fences (1950s), based on Wilson’s plays by the same titles. Historical context will be provided for each play. With luck, Denzel Washington’s new film of “The Lesson” will be available online this fall. If not, the older Hallmark version is a gem.
Students should come prepared to read aloud, and to learn the basics of playwriting, acting, and directing, as they help inform Wilson’s work.
This course will consist of discussions between the Study Leader and participants.