“The collaboration between Penumbra and the Guthrie allows us to come together to create something neither of us could do alone,” Artistic Director Lou Bellamy said. “Penumbra has a strong history of developing work around African American themes including the first professional production of Mr. Wilson. Partnering allows our particular experiences and areas of expertise to join forces, offering the community a unique opportunity to experience Wilson’s work at its best.”

Tickets for this regional premiere go on sale June 2, 2007 through the Guthrie Box Office at 612-377-2224, toll-free 877-44-STAGE and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

With Gem of the Ocean, Wilson begins his 20th century cycle chronicling black American life in the Hill District of Pittsburgh in 1904. Aunt Esther, the drama's 287-year-old fiery matriarch, welcomes into her Hill District home Solly Two Kings, who was born into slavery and scouted for the Union Army, and Citizen Barlow, a young man from Alabama searching for a new life. Bewildered by the collapse of the old slave regime, the first generation of black Americans recently freed from slavery are unprepared for the backlash against their newly acquired freedom by whites. Many venture north and find themselves at Aunt Ester’s door, seeking solace, advice, or a place to heal.