August Wilson’s Century Cycle Experience Pop-Up

You’re invited to a free immersive excursion into the world of one of the greatest literary minds of the 20th century at August Wilson’s Century Cycle Experience Pop-Up. The August Wilson African American Cultural Center and the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company are bringing you a special preview of August Wilson’s Century Cycle Experience, a monthlong series of performances of three August Wilson Classics (Fences, Two Trains Running, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) throughout the month of August.

Enjoy an intimate reception and showcase as actors featured in the theatre company’s current productions perform scenes from the Pittsburgh native’s critically acclaimed plays, in the multidisciplinary art center that bears his name. The actors will participate in a Q&A Panel with attendees.

• Karla C. Payne, Fences
• Kevin Brown, Fences
• Manny Walker, Two Trains Running
• Amira Jackson, Two Trains Running
• Katy Cotten, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• David Minniefield, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• Chuck Timbers, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• Rich Dickson, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• Dionysius Westbrooks, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

August Wilson’s Century Cycle is a collection of ten plays, each set in a different decade of the 20th century, that together chronicle the African American experience in the U.S., with a strong focus on Pittsburgh’s Hill District — where Wilson grew up.

Following the panel, trek through American history with a guided tour of August Wilson: The Writer’s Landscape, the 3,600 square foot exhibition exploring the people and places that shaped his worldview and inspired his unprecedented 10-play Century Cycle with a separate section for each of the plays.

Whet your appetite before experiencing the full performance later this month:

• Fences (August Wilson House, August 8th – September 6th.)
• Two Trains Running (Madison Arts Center in the Carter Woodson Redwood Theater, August 9th – 30th)
• Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Madison Arts Center in our ground-floor cabaret space, August 15th – 24th)

For more information about the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, visit pghplaywrights.org.