August Wilson’s “The Pittsburgh Cycle”
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August Wilson wrote on the complex experiences of the African-American, the undocumented lives as well as the experiences of the community that he was brought up within The Hill District. August Wilson noticed that he was developing something more momentum after he wrote his third play. August Wilson concluded that he needed to create a cycle of ten plays that were set for each decade in the early 1980s (Bradford, 2019). All the ten plays were named the Pittsburgh Cycle, but one of them took place in the city’s Hills District. The ten plays of August Wilson are one of the achievements in contemporary performance. The ten plays were created in a different era as well as location, and they were not arranged in chronological order.
Fences
The Fences is one among the most recognized works of August Wilson and examines the race relations as well as the evolving African America, among other themes. The Fences focuses on Troy, a 53-year older man who was struggling with providing for his family (Wilson, 2016). The Fences took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, even though it is not officially named, but it mentions some significant places in Pittsburgh. The Fences represent the struggle for fairness as well as for justice in the 1950s.
Gem of the Ocean
The Gem of the Ocean was set in 1904. The play focuses on a young African-American called Citizen Barlow, who arrived in Pittsburgh while searching for prosperity, purpose, and redemption. Aunt Ester, a woman, rumored to be 285 years and who owns some healing powers, decides to assist Citizen Barlow on his life’s journey.
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone was set in 1911. Turner was the name of the owner of a farm who required the African-Americans to work in his field (Bradford, 2019). The boarding houses of Seth and that of Bertha respectively offer room to wayward souls who had already been abused and sometimes kidnapped by the white community.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was set in 1927. It talks about racism, the often-fraught history of the black musical group as well as the white producer, and what it means to sing blues. The tone used in the story is a combination of the blues, bitterness as well as laughter, which is an ideal representation of the experience of the black. Ma Rainey says, “White folks do not understand about the blues. They hear it come out, but they do not know how it got there. They do not understand that it is life’s way of talking. You do not sing to feel better. You sing ’cause that is a way of understanding life.” (Robinson, 2019 p36)
The Piano Lesson
The Piano Lesson was set in 1936. The piano that had been handed over for generations became the main reason for conflict for the members if Charles’s family (Wilson, 2019). The storyline in The Piano Lesson reflects how significant objects are in relationship to the past.
Seven Guitars
The Seven Guitars was set in 1948. It was set in the backyard of Pittsburgh where a womanizing vocalist was trying to make right what was he had made wrong. It begins with the death of Floyd Barton and then shifts back to the past.
Two Trains Running
The Two Trains Running was set in 1969. Racial tension of this era was passionately debated by the customers as well as the staff at a lunch counter was about to be demolished in Hill District that was economically suffering.
Jitney
Jitney was set in 1977. As Wilson narrates the tale, the taxis were not able to go to the Hill District, so the public depended on jitneys, unlicensed cabs. This character-driven play featured the co-workers who gossip, sharp-witted, argue as well as a dream in between jobs.
King Hedley 2
King Hedley 2 was set in 1985. It narrates the fights of the residents of a scarred neighborhood so that they could keep on living as part of the stressed underclass in the era of Reagan. The setting of this tale finds the Hills district in dismal.
Radio Golf
Radio Gold was set in 1990. The play talks about the black developers of real estate who were hopeful of tearing down the home where Aunt Ester lived so that they could make space for a shopping complex. History and legacy era are new ideas about the progress as well as the ambition of the blacks.
References
Bradford, W. (2019, February 1). Synopsis of August Wilson’s 10 Play Series the Pittsburgh Cycle.
Robinson, D. (2018, February 19). August Wilson’s ‘Pittsburgh Cycle’ Plays.
Wilson, A. (2016). Fences (Vol. 6). Penguin.
Wilson, A. (2019). The piano lesson. Penguin.