August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean

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Cast Size

2w, 5m
Duration

More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
Target Audience

Adult

Accolades

Nominee: Five 2005 Tony Awards, including Best Play

Details

Summary

Set in 1904, August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean blends naturalism and mysticism to explore the experience of a Black community at the turn of the 20th century. When Citizen Barlow comes to her Pittsburgh’s Hill District home seeking asylum, matriarch and advisor Aunt Ester sets him off on a spiritual journey to visit the City of Bones, home of their ancestors. Gem of the Ocean is the ninth work in Wilson’s ten-play American Century Cycle, which has recorded the American Black experience and helped to define generations. The Broadway run starred Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad as Aunt Ester.

History

Gem of the Ocean premiered at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in April 2003 under the direction of Marion McClinton. On 6 December 2004, the play premiered on Broadway. Directed by Kenny Leon, the Broadway production featured Anthony Chisholm, Lisa Gay Hamilton, John Earl Jelks, Eugene Lee, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Raynor Scheine and Phylicia Rashad, who earned a Tony nomination for her portrayal of Aunt Ester.

Cast Attributes

Role(s) for Black Actor(s)

Keywords

Performing Groups

ELI – Aunt Ester’s gatekeeper and longtime friend of Solly.
CITIZEN BARLOW – A young man from Alabama who is in spiritual turmoil. Late twenties/early thirties.
AUNT ESTER TYLER – A very old, yet vital spiritual advisor for the community.
BLACK MARY – Aunt Ester’s protégé and housekeeper. Late twenties.
RUTHERFORD SELIG – A traveling peddler who is a frequent visitor of the house.
SOLLY TWO KINGS – Suitor to Aunt Ester, former Underground Railroad conductor. Sixty-seven.
CAESAR WILKS – Black Mary’s brother and local constable. About fifty-two.

Time Period 1900-1910
Setting The parlor of Aunt Ester’s home in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1904.
Features Period Costumes
Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
Cautions
- Alcohol
- Strong Language
- Mild Adult Themes
- Smoking

Media

“Slow-burning, powerfully spiritual drama.” – Variety

“A swelling battle hymn of transporting beauty. Theatergoers who have followed August Wilson’s career will find in Gem a touchstone for everything else he has written.” – The New York Times

“Extraordinary and compelling… a master storyteller, August Wilson has written Gem of the Ocean with his signature humor, heart and drama.” – Broadway World

“Unsettling… the play has a good share of humor… a complex story about complicated issues of life after slavery.” – Columbia Chronicle

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

Spirituality in GEM OF THE OCEAN
by Omi Jones
February 25, 2016

GEM OF THE OCEAN, Theatrical Jazz, and an Expansive Blackness
by Omi Jones
February 24, 2016

Videos

Phylicia rashad performs scene from Gem of the Ocean
Scene 1 from Court Theatre's Gem of the Ocean
Scene 2 from Court Theatre's Gem of the Ocean

Photos

Image: 2015 Court Theatre Production (Michael Brosilow)

Licensing & Materials

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Scripts

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Ticketing

Authors

August Wilson

August Wilson (April 27, 1945 - October 2, 2005) authored 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. These works explore the heritage and experienc ...

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August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean