August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean

Before Schoolboy Barton played the blues,
before King Hedley II found his halo,
before the Charles siblings fought over the piano…
There was Aunt Ester.

Directed by Monica White Ndounou

Hibernian Hall, Roxbury
April 16 – May 17, 2026

Actors’ Shakespeare Project is thrilled to continue and deepen our dedication to August Wilson’s canon by returning to the first chronological entry in the American Century Cycle: Gem of the Ocean.

This transportive and nourishing production explores community, oppression, and healing – as well as featuring the character that Wilson himself described as “the most significant persona of the cycle,” Aunt Ester.

Citizen Barlow thinks his journey is at an end when he arrives in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, but it has only just begun. Having fled from Alabama and desperate for redemption, he finds himself on the doorstep of Aunt Ester, a 285-year-old “soul cleanser” whose parlor is filled with history, music, and a lively cast of characters with plenty of stories to tell. As tensions flare between Pittsburgh’s Black community and the local steel mill, Ester sends Citizen on a fantastical journey to the City of Bones – where he must seek spiritual truth, and the key to liberation that his new city so urgently seeks.

RUN TIME: Approx. two hours and fifty minutes, including one intermission.

CONTENT ADVISORY: August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean contains mature themes, including intense discussions of slavery, racism, and violence, alongside strong language.