Many in the theater community revere August Wilson, one of the most acclaimed playwrights of the last 50 years.

Lundeana Thomas, who is directing Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” at Youngstown Playhouse, certainly respects his work, but she was just as impressed by the man himself during the times she was fortunate enough to meet him.

Thomas, a Youngstown native who is a retired theater professor at the University of Louisville, was involved with the Black Theatre Network in the early ’90s. They wanted Wilson as a guest speaker, but he already had two Pulitzer Prizes by the time and commanded far more than they could afford to pay him. However, he accepted their $1,000 offer and attended the conference.

When asked why, Wilson said he noticed one of the names on BTN’s stationery was Vernell Lillie.

“He said, ‘She was the first person to direct my play when I was just a nobody in Pittsburgh, Pa. I would have come for anything,'” Thomas said.

A few years later, she saw him at the National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C. Thomas was going to be playing the title role in Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” a play about a blues singer in the 1920s, and they asked him if he had another shorter, music-related play that they could program in conjunction with it. He did, but he wanted to rewrite it, and he polished the script in time for them to do it.

She described him as humble and accessible, even at conferences where celebrity speakers often avoid the public except when they’re being paid to speak.

“He was always open and (acted) like he was honored that they wanted him with their presence and with their questions,” she said. “He was that kind of man, and he was just like a shining light.”

When Wilson died in 2005, she made the trip from Louisville to Pittsburgh to attend his memorial service because of the impact he’d made on her. And that impact is one of the reasons she wanted to direct “Gem of the Ocean” at the Playhouse.

While not produced as frequently as “Fences” and “The Piano Lesson,” the plays that won him Pulitzers and have been adapted for the movies, “Gem of the Ocean” was picked by Thomas because it’s a play about hope, and that’s something that’s just as needed in 2025 as it was in 1904, when the story takes place.

“In ‘Shawshank Redemption,’ Red (Morgan Freeman) says, ‘Hope is a dangerous thing, you could drive a man crazy,’ and yet he says, ‘Hope is the most important thing,'” Thomas said. “Hope helps you to hold on. I see so many things happening in the world today that dims the hope that people have, and I wanted to work with something that says, hope should be very important, that’s what we can hold onto and hope will give you better days and better moments and strength to carry on

“So many people are dreading our country. They’re dreading the prices. There’s so much to dread. But we’ve been through hard times, and we got through, and if we just hold on, better times are coming. They’re right around the corner.”

“Gem of the Ocean” is part of Wilson’s Century Cycle, a collection of 10 plays that each take place in a different decade of the 20th century and are set predominantly in his native Pittsburgh. “Gem” it’s the first play chronologically in the series, but it was the ninth one that was produced, first performed in 2003.

For the characters in “Gem,” slavery isn’t something from the history books; it’s something they endured. Its characters migrated north to Pittsburgh’s Hill District, but they still face racism and segregation, not to mention a different form of economic exploitation that had men working full-time in the mills while remaining in debt to their employers.

When a worker is falsely accused of stealing a bucket of nails and dies by suicide, it sparks a strike and later a riot at the mill.

The worker who was actually responsible for the theft seeks redemption for himself from Aunt Ester, a 285-year-old (that’s not a typo) former slave who is known in the community as a “washer” of souls.

The cast features Nailah Thomas, DC Colvin, Dan Colvin, Arcale Peace, Jaietta Jackson, Terry Shears and Waymond Grace.

Just as one of the characters in “Gem” is a spiritual leader, those involved with the production have been leaning on their own faith.

“One of the things that we decided is that we would have prayer,” Thomas said. “It was something that we incorporated to give homage to the Creator who gave us the talent that we are utilizing in the play and to take care of us and bring us to fruition. And that has been one of the things that have guided us throughout the process of working on this production.”

While most dramas produced at the Playhouse have been in the smaller Moyer Room performance space, “Gem” is presented on the main stage. Thomas said the Moyer Room didn’t have the space to create the realistic set she believes the play requires. And she brought in Charles Nasbe, who she had worked with in Louisville, to help design the set.

“He’s done a very dynamic job, so the set will be a crowd pleaser, I’m sure,” she said.

If you go …

WHAT: “Gem of the Ocean”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday through March 2

WHERE: Youngstown Playhouse, 600 Playhouse Lane, Youngstown

HOW MUCH: Tickets range from $12 to $27 and are available online at experienceyourarts.org and by calling 330-788-8739.

Submitted photos
The cast of Youngstown Playhouse’s production of “Gem of the Ocean” includes, top row from left, Jaietta Jackson DC Colvin and Waymond Grace and, bottom row from left, Terry Shears and Nailah Thomas.