From the very first scene of the very first act of âKing Headly II,â I was hooked: I wanted to immerse myself in the work of August Wilson. The language was powerful. The expressive monologues were lyrical. The depth of characterization was mesmerizing. Depicting everyday people in everyday situations, Wilson found poetry in the struggle for survival.
American Stage Theatre Company is responsible for introducing me — and many others in the Tampa Bay area — to Wilson’s Century Cycle. The cycle includes 10 plays, nine of which take place in Pittsburgh’s Hill district, each set in a different decade of the 20th century. In January 2009, I saw American Stage’s production of “King Headly II.” It was the second in the series to be produced by American Stage Theatre. The theater made a commitment to producing all the plays in the cycle — a pledge that was fulfilled during the 2016-17 season with the final chapter, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” American Stage Theatre operates as a non-profit 501(c)(3) in the heart of St. Petersburg, providing live theatrical productions as a professional regional equity theatre since 1977. For information, visit americanstage.org.