2007-2008 Artistic Director's Statement

"On our stage, African American traditions, rites of passage, and celebrations are brought to life. Penumbra is a keeper of the stories and we take this responsibility seriously. The rigor with which we approach the work and its content is unparalleled. Across the nation, folks are standing up to take notice, and they're pointing to St. Paul." -Lou Bellamy, Founder and Artistic Director

A world premiere and co-production with Round House Theatre of Bethesda, Maryland, REDSHIRTS tackles the recruitment of black athletes by universities that care more for commercial success than intellectual integrity.

November 29 through December 30, 2007

Celebrate our 20th year of ringing in the holiday season in serious style with the finest musicians, jazz and gospel singers and dancers the Twin Cities has to offer!

An opportunity to witness Wilson's work at its definitive best, the playwright himself called Penumbra's 1993 production his "favorite staging [and] a model of style and eloquence that would inspire my future work." A Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, The Piano Lesson is the story of a family haunted by the living legacy of American slavery.

The first generation of black Americans recently freed from slavery are unprepared for the backlash against their newly acquired freedom by whites. Many venture north and find themselves at Aunt Ester's door, seeking solace, advice, or a place to heal. Join us for the Midwest premiere of August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean and meet Aunt Ester, keeper of the flame.

The 2007-2008 Season launches the August Wilson 20th Century Cycle, ten plays that trace black American life decade by decade from 1900 to 2000. Commencing with the Pulitzer Prize winning Ma Rainey's Black Bottom in 1982, the plays were written over the course of 23 years and were finished in 2005, the year of the playwright's death. The ten plays in August Wilson's 20th Century are: Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Fences, Two Trains Running, Jitney, King Hedley II, and Radio Golf.

 

Over the next five years, Penumbra will produce the entire August Wilson 20th Century Cycle, presenting two plays each season. Lou Bellamy said, "We are honored to host this unprecedented occasion and so thrilled to offer our patrons the opportunity to witness the work of a great writer staged by the artists he regarded so highly." Bellamy will direct these plays, starting in the 2007-2008 Season with The Piano Lesson at Penumbra's home theatre in St. Paul, and the regional premiere of Gem of the Ocean presented at the Guthrie Theatre.