August Wilson Play, "King Hedley II," to be Presented Jan. 16, 17, 18

"King Hedley II," the ninth play of August Wilson's 10-play "Pittsburgh Cycle," will be presented by the Illinois State University Black Actor Guild at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 16 and 17 and at 2 p.m. Jan. 17 and 18 in room 207 in Centennial West at Illinois State.

All performances are free and open to the public.

"King Hedley II" is the story of an ex-convict in Pittsburgh trying to rebuild his life.  The play has been called Wilson's darkest tragedy, in which the title character struggles against an era that seems all too bleak.   The Illinois State production is directed by Professor Sandra Zielinski.

Anyone needing a special accommodation to participate can call the box office at (309) 438-2535.

Like most of Wilson's plays, "King Hedley II" takes place in the traditionally black neighborhood of Pittsburgh known as the Hill District.  The year is 1985, a time of drive-by shootings and Reaganomics that don't trickle down as far as the Hill. King Hedley II and his friend, Mister, make ends meet by fencing "hot" refrigerators until they can get the money together to start a video store.

King's wife is pregnant but, already a grandmother at 35, she does not want to have the baby. King is insistent. The arrival in town of his mother Ruby's ex-lover Elmore triggers a series of events that cause King to question his manhood and his identity. As Wilson says of the title character, "He has built his whole persona, as we all do, around things we think we know. It's a matter of stripping these illusions away from the character in the process of him finding out who he really is."

Wilson's cycle of 10 plays chronicled the African American experience, each set in a different decade of the 20th century.  Crafted over nearly 25 years, these works garnered Wilson myriad accolades, including a Tony Award and two Pulitzer Prizes.

The production is co-sponsored by Illinois State University MECCPAC )Multi-Ethnic Cultural Co-Curricular Programming Advisory Committee) the ISU Office of the President and the ISU School of Theatre and its Crossroads Theatre.