Shore Culture Centre Theatre Program August Wilson's American Century Cycle Readings AUDITIONS: Wednesday, Sept. 13th ONLY

The Shore Theatre Program will be presenting the first four plays of the late, great August Wilson's American Century Cycle beginning September 25 with a readers theatre production of "Gem of the Ocean". It will be followed by "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" (October), "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" (November) and "The Piano Lesson" (December) closing the 2017 season. 

Audition Date: Wednesday, September 13th ONLY

Start Time: 7pm-Auditions are by appointment only. Please email pllecompany2.0@gmail.com for an appointment. No Calls Please.

Where: Shore Culture Centre

291 East 222nd Street

Euclid, OH  44123

Preparation: Please bring headshot/resume; prepare a 2-3 minute contemporary monologue of the African American experience or from an August Wilson work of your choice.

Rehearsal Times: 1 table read; 1 rehearsal before each presentation

Wilson’s work illuminated the joys and struggles of the African-American experience in the United States during the 20th century.  His greatest contribution to American culture is his defining 10-play cycle, one for each decade of the past century; all but one set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh. 

*August Wilson's American Century Cycle are presented with the permission of the Wilson Estate and by special arrangement with Samuel L. French, Inc.

Gem of the Ocean
(Reading Monday, September 25, 2017 @7pm)

Set in 1904 | Written in 2003
Tony Award Nomination
Gem of the Ocean introduces Aunt Ester, who acts as a spiritual advisor and carries nearly 300 years of memories for the people of the Hill District. The play focuses on how she helps one man find himself within a turbulent history.

Character Breakdown

Aunt Ester Tyler- A former slave and a "soul-cleanser", who is the head of 1839 Wylie Avenue. She claims to be 285 years old and acts as the benevolent, if disciplinarian, ruler of the household. She entertains the romantic ambitions of Solly. She is a recurring character in several of Wilson's plays of the Pittsburgh Cycle.

Citizen Barlow- A young man from Alabama who comes to the house to be cleansed by Ester. He is enlisted to help construct a wall, and eventually journeys to The City of Bones.

Solly Two Kings- A friend of Aunt Ester. He is a former slave from Alabama who later became a conductor on the underground railroad and a scout for the Union Army. 

Black" Mary Wilkes- Ester's housekeeper and her protégé in the art of Soul Cleansing. Caesar's sister. She performs most of the household tasks, but never to the satisfaction of Ester.

Caesar Wilkes- Black Mary's brother, a policeman, baker and land-owner. He upholds the law at all costs. He practices strict capitalism and has no qualms with killing a man over a petty crime.

Eli-Aunt Ester's caregiver, he protects the inhabitants and is constructing a wall. He was Solly's comrade in his efforts on the Underground Railroad and for The Union Army.

Rutherford Selig-A peddler and friend of Ester's who frequently visits the house. He sells pots, pans and other crockery.

Joe Turner's Come and Gone
(Reading Monday, October 30, 2017 @7pm)

Set in 1911 | Written in 1988
New York Drama Critics Circle Award; Tony Award Nomination; Drama Desk Award Nomination
In Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Herald Loomis arrives in the Hill District after working on Joe Turner’s chain gang. Throughout his stay, Herald’s journey becomes a search for the meaning of his own past and the possibilities of his future.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
(Reading Monday, November, 27 2017 @7pm)

Set in 1927 | Written in 1984
New York Drama Critics Circle Award; Whiting Writers Award; Tony Award Nomination; Drama Desk Award Nomination
Set in Chicago, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the only play in the cycle that does not take place in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. The play explores the many purposes of creative expression and the exploitation of African American artists in the 20th century.

The Piano Lesson
(Reading Monday, December 11, 2017 @7pm)

Set in 1936 | Written in 1990
Pulitzer Prize; New York Drama Critics Circle Award; Drama Desk Award; Pulitzer Prize Nomination; Tony Award Nomination
The Piano Lesson focuses on the conflict between a sister and brother over whether to sell a piano that was acquired during slavery through the sale of two of the family’s ancestors. The play highlights the conflict between two ways of coping with a painful past.

(Synopsis courtesy of August Wilson Education Project)