The essential guide to playwright august wilson's plays

One of this award season's biggest critical darlings is _Ma Rainey's Black Bottom_, which is set in the world of 1920s blues musicians and features Oscar winner Viola Davis, 55,

and the late_ Black Panther_ star Chadwick Boseman in his final role. The film, which is playing in select theaters now and will be released on Netflix on Dec. 18, is based on a play by

two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson. You may know_ Ma Rainey_, but do you know that it's part of a larger cycle of plays that Wilson wrote — the Pittsburgh Cycle — between the

late 1970s and his untimely death in 2005? Each of the 10 plays in the series offers a glimpse into the Black experience during a different decade of the 20th century. Following everyday

folks, from formerly enslaved people to trash collectors, jitney drivers to Ivy League-educated developers, the plays run the gamut from bawdy comedies to Greek-inspired tragedies.

Here's a decade-by-decade guide to this epic theatrical series, complete with ways you can engage with them at home, including film adaptations, online clips, and Black-owned

independent bookstores where you can buy the scripts. RELATED: Viola Davis Finds a Powerful Voice [embedded content] THE 1900S: _GEM OF THE OCEAN_ (2003) THE PLOT: Set in 1904 in

Pittsburgh's Hill District, this symbolism-rich play introduces one of Wilson's most indelible creations, the formerly enslaved Aunt Ester, who is said to be 285 years old. From

her home at 1839 Wylie Avenue, Ester offers sanctuary to troubled folks looking to cleanse their souls, and she leads them on a poetic journey of spiritual reawakening to the mythical City

of Bones. Phylicia Rashad, 72, earned a Tony nod for the 2004 Broadway production, which was also nominated for best play. HOW TO EXPERIENCE THE PLAY AT HOME: Watch a clip of Rashad from

PBS’ American Masters. THE 1910S: _JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE_ (1984) THE PLOT: It's 1911, and Seth and Bertha Holly's Pittsburgh boardinghouse plays host to a rotating cast

of characters taking part in the early days of the Great Migration, during which the descendants of enslaved African Americans began their move toward new lives in the industrial North.

Among those passing through is Herald Loomis, a strange man who's searching for his wife. The original 1984 Broadway production starred Delroy Lindo, 68, and Angela Bassett, 62. HOW TO

EXPERIENCE THE PLAY AT HOME: Consider buying the play script from a Black-owned shop, such as The Tiny Bookstore, located in the Pittsburgh suburbs. [embedded content] THE 1920S: _MA

RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM_ (1982) THE PLOT: The only play in the Pittsburgh Cycle not set in Pittsburgh, this music-filled work takes place on a sweltering day in a Chicago recording studio

in 1927, as Ma Rainey — based on a real singer nicknamed “The Mother of the Blues” — records an album with her bandmates. Filled with jokes, stories and memories, the play offers a

commentary on the ways Black recording artists were often exploited by the music industry. Over the years, Ma Rainey has been played by Theresa Merritt (Aunt Em in_ The Wiz_), Whoopi

Goldberg (65) and West End legend Sharon D. Clarke (54). HOW TO EXPERIENCE THE PLAY AT HOME: Watch the new cinematic adaptation, directed by two-time Tony winner George C. Wolfe, available

on Netflix Dec. 18. RELATED: 17 Essential Films About the Black Experience