
TheatreWorks
August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean

Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner August Wilson’s American Century Cycle begins with this inspirational tale of transformation. Slavery is a living memory in 1904 when Citizen Barlow, a young man desperate for redemption and wracked with guilt, arrives at Aunt Ester’s doorstep. A 285-year-old prophet and renowned “washer of souls,” Aunt Ester sends him on a mystical journey of justice and freedom that is as urgent and as expansive as the soul of America. A close friend of Wilson and long-time interpreter of his work, Artistic Director Tim Bond brings spiritual music and vibrant theatricality to the TheatreWorks stage.