Unease Over Race Still Prompted by Viewing August Wilson's Powerful 10-Play Cycle

Each week in our Saturday Supplement, we re-post an entry of interest to both residents of the Washington area and visitors to DC that first appeared in another publication's website.

A scene from August Wilson's A Piano Lesson

Race relations news from the past few weeks: Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s bigotry eclipses his 15 seconds of folk hero fame as a federal grazing fee resister. The NBA playoffs nearly grind to a halt over plantation-style remarks by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. The Supreme Court allows states to ban affirmative action in university admissions.

Meanwhile, Washington theater has stealthily begun reviving nearly half the works in August Wilson’s acclaimed “Decades Cycle” — 10 dramas chronicling black American life across the 20th century. With no planning or prior communication, four theaters just happen to be presenting four Wilson plays over a span of 10 months.

To continue reading this post, which 1st appeared in The Washington Post, click here.