Community Discussion of August Wilson’s King Hedley II

Posted by West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance on October 5, 2015

Paul Robeson House / West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
and the University of Pennsylvania’s August Wilson & Beyond class
are thrilled to invite you to:

A Community Discussion of August Wilson’s King Hedley II
Sunday, October 18 at 1:30pm

W.E.B. Du Bois College House
3900 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

King Hedley II is August Wilson’s hard-hitting chronicle of a man’s fight to make a place for himself in a world that tells him he doesn’t count.

One of the final pieces in Wilson’s Century Cycle of 10 plays exploring African American life in each decade of the 20th century, the play is set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood in 1985. Recently returned from prison, King struggles with how to provide for his family as his wife Tonya questions how they will care for their unborn child. Friends pressure him to stray from the path he has set for himself, while around them the neighborhood is suffering through violence and a loss of connection to their history.

The afternoon will include lunch, conversation about the play, and opportunities for everyone to share their own stories about the struggles and beauty of Black life the play expresses so vividly.

Plus staged reading of scenes from King Hedley II by Philadelphia theatre favorites
Carlo Campbell as King
Jaylene Clark Owens as Tonya
and other special guests

To RSVP for the gathering or if you have any questions, please contact
Professor Suzana Berger: suzanab@sas.upenn.edu 215.680.3488
Paul Robeson House / West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance: 215.747.4675

We are happy to provide you with a complimentary copy of King Hedley II to read before the gathering. The play will be available for pick-up at the Paul Robeson House office at 4949 Walnut Street at the beginning of October.

Please call the Robeson House at 215.747.4675 to ask about pick-up times