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James Craven as Harmond Wilks and Abdul Salaam El Razzac as Elder Joseph Barlow in "Radio Golf" at Penumbra Theatre. Photo credit: Lauren B. Photography

 died on October 2, 2005, just six months after the premiere of "Radio Golf," the tenth and final play in "

," his examination of African-American life in the 20th century (one play for each decade). "Radio Golf," set in the 1990s, is the story of Harmond Wilks, an Ivy League-educated lawyer with an educated and ambitious wife. Wilks wants to redevelop an area of the Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and declares his candidacy to be the city's first black mayor.

While Wilson died with the satisfaction of having completed his life's great project, in retrospect it seems tragic that he didn't live just 25 months longer, to see the election of the nation's first black president. Penumbra Theatre Artistic Director Lou Bellamy, who is staging the 

James Craven as Harmond Wilks and Austene Van as Mame Wilks in "Radio Golf" at Penumbra Theatre. Photo credit: Lauren B. Photography

In "Radio Golf" Harmond Wilks not only faces the skepticism and expectations of his own community:

The fact that this is the first time Penumbra Theatre has ever staged "Radio Golf" is worth noting. Actors such as James Craven and Abdul Salaam El Razzac worked with August Wilson when he was alive, and have most of his plays under their belts already. Accompanied by Lou Bellamy's seasoned direction, the Penumbra's production is likely to ring paricularly true to the playwright's voice and vision.

Arts and Culture

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Marianne Combs

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August Wilson's play about a black man running for political office has new resonance in the Obama administration.

Radio Golf: A play for our time

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