In honor of the 150th anniversary, FYT embarks on a season long exploration of the topic of emancipation, from the historical event in 1862, to its immediate aftermath, and through to the present day.
by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder
Directed by Rodney Creech
From the Great Depression to the Civil Rights Movement to modern day, follow the lives of the Pettway women as they endure seven decades of love and loss, discrimination and redemption.
This uplifting tale of rural survival is based on the true story of the now-famous quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, known the world over for their distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style.
February 15 – March 3
An FYT Signature Series Production
Written by August Wilson
Mythic in its proportions, Gem of the Ocean travels to a time when slavery was a living memory and African Americans were searching for a new life within the uncertain meaning of freedom. Aunt Ester, a 285-year-old fiery matriarch, launches a young man burdened by an unconfessed crime on a spiritual journey to the mythical City of Bones. Set in 1904 Pittsburgh, this is the starting point for Wilson’s ten play Century Cycle.
Sunday, February 24 at 6 pm
An FYT Off the Press Staged Reading
Written by Matthew Lopez
It is April, 1865. The Civil War is over and Caleb DeLeon, a young Jewish Confederate officer, returns to Richmond, Virginia to find his family’s home in ruins. Caleb is greeted by two of his family’s former slaves, Simon and John, who are waiting for his family’s return. As the three men wait for signs of life to return to the city, they wrestle with their shared past, the bitter irony of Jewish slave-owning and the reality of the new world in which they find themselves.
Sunday, March 24 at 6 pm
An FYT Off the Press Staged Reading
Resources: An interactive timeline of the Civil War
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