August Wilson Discussion Group: American Century Cycle

Please join us for a ten-week series where we will read and discuss plays written by renowned playwright August Wilson.

Please contact my.nguyen@dc.gov for more information and to register.

Please join us for a ten-week series where we will read and discuss plays written by renowned playwright August Wilson. We will focus specifically on his American Century Cycle of ten plays, and read one play per week during this series.

Please read the play before attending each session.

The syllabus is as follows:

Week 1 (October 6): Jitney (1979)
Week 2 (October 13): Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1982)
Week 3 (October 20): Fences (1984)
Week 4 (October 27): Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (1984)
Week 5 (November 3): The Piano Lesson (1986)
Week 6 (November 10): Two Trains Running (1990)
Week 7 (November 17): Seven Guitars (1995)
(Nov. 24): NO MEETING IN OBSERVANCE OF THANKSGIVING
Week 8 (December 1): King Hedley II (1991)
Week 9 (December 8): Gem of the Ocean (2003)
Week 10 (December 15): Radio Golf (2005)

About the facilitator

This program will be led by Raymond Maxwell. Since 2018 Mr. Maxwell has served as study group leader for the American Century Cycle, a course he originally developed and proposed for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute-American University in Washington, DC. Mr. Maxwell has an MA from University of London; an MSLIS from Catholic University; and a BS, Economics from Florida A&M University. He is a member of the August Wilson Society and writes a regular blog post for their website.

Upcoming events