The Century Cycle Opening

After heading up a celebrated production of King Hedley II, director Nadia Fall returns to August Wilson's Century Cycle, directing this staging of Gem of the Ocean at the Young Vic. Despite being the ninth in the series, the play serves as the chronological opening to the Pulitzer-Prize-winning playwright's famed ten-play cycle (also known as the Pittsburgh Cycle). The play sets up the tone for the themes present across the cycle, including the worth of the individual, family dynamics, and African-American identity.

What Is The Story?

In Pittsburgh’s Hill District in 1904, Citizen Barlow is running from his past, and the law may soon catch up with him in the form of Caesar, a local sheriff. Aunt Ester, meanwhile, is a matriarchal figure, said to be nearly three centuries old, who acts as a cleanser of souls in a community where the living still remember slavery. As Citizen arrives at the home of Aunt Ester seeking spiritual sanctuary, the scene is set for a tense struggle between the need for redemption and the harsh realities of a post-slavery society.