This spectacular season includes two regional premieres, Radio Golf by August Wilson and The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez, the Twin Cities' favorite holiday tradition Black Nativity, and August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning Fences.

Select the 4-play Series and reserve your seats for each show.

Select a Flex Pass and receive three vouchers - you choose the play(s)!

2008-2009 Artistic Director's Statement

"The plays selected this season emphasize legacy. Each of these playwrights deftly illustrates that the ethical fabric binding a culture together is made from the lessons learned by those who came before. As we examine the African American interpretations of this experience, we find a story relevant to many Americans - the choice between your dream and your family, the choice between wealth and integrity, the choice between your future and your past." -Lou Bellamy, Founder and Artistic Director

Set in 1957, Fences is the story of a Troy Maxon, a baseball player whose prime came before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. When his rapid rise through the Negro leagues hits the ceiling of racial prejudice, Troy is forced to let go of his dream of major league success. A Pulitzer Prize-
                              winning play, Fences is the heartbreaking story of a man who by all
                              rights should have been an American legend.

November 28 through December 28, 2008

This gospel musical celebrates the bonds of family, the power of faith and the strength of tradition, showcasing the best jazz and gospel singers of the Twin Cities and the stirring choreography of TU Dance. Ring in the season with the Twin Cities' favorite holiday tradition!

After four years of Civil War, Caleb DeLeon returns to his father's plantation in Richmond, Virginia badly wounded. His family gone, the once grand home has been pillaged beyond recognition. There is one familiar face amidst the wreckage: Simon, the man who raised him. Out from the rubble of the fallen South, Simon and Caleb face one another for the first time as free men.

A star on the rise, Harmon Wilks wants to become Pittsburgh's first black mayor. He sees the Hill District as an untapped resource and his ticket to win the election. As he makes his run for office, the neighborhood in which he grew up begins to groan under the weight of his ambition and Harmon
learns that not all that glitters is gold. Set in 1997, this is the story of a man
struggling to forge his own path in the shadow of his father's legacy. 

The 2008-2009 Season continues Penumbra's commitment to produce the entire August Wilson Twentieth Century Cycle that traces black American life decade by decade from 1900 to 2000. Penumbra will stage the Twentieth Century Cycle in its entirety by producing two Wilson plays each season within a five year time frame. The Cycle was launched last season with
The Piano Lesson at Penumbra and Gem of the Ocean, presented at the
Guthrie Theater. This season, Lou Bellamy will direct Fences and Radio Golf,
                            both at home on the Penumbra stage.

Lena Younger wants to buy a home for her family. But when a white representative of the neighborhood "welcoming committee" presents the Younger's with an offer to buy them out of their home to prevent integration in their community, the dream of the house quickly becomes a
nightmare. Penumbra's production presented at the Guthrie will celebrate
the 50th Anniversary of the inspiring classic.  Tickets on sale July 7, 2008,
through the Guthrie Box Office: 612-377-2224 or at guthrietheater.org.