The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History is very pleased to present the second play in a series of theatrical readings of great works by iconic writer August Wilson. Augusta native and renowned actor Jerome Preston Bates will be directing and performing.

This second play in the series will be King Hedley II, to be performed November 16^th at 3:00pm. Cost is $50 per person and seating is limited. The performance will be held in the Museum’s Conference Center. Following the Theatrical Reading there will be a Q&A with the cast from 5:30-6:30 p.m. entitled “The Legacy of August Wilson” 

Cast includes Jerome Preston Bates as Elmore, Russell Joel Brown as King, Sa Jules as Ruby, Tarika Holland as Tonya, Reverend Chris Lowe as Stool Pigeon. Sean Moton will serve as Stage Manager and Shantelle Wheeler will narrate.

August Wilson was a Pulitzer Prize winning American playwright who has been referred to as "theater's poet of Black America". Best known for his series of 10 plays that chronicled the experiences and heritage of the African-American community, he highlighted the joys and the struggles of Black Americans over the course of the 20th century.

Jerome Preston Bates is a graduate of Lucy Craft Laney High School and Knoxville College.  His Broadway performances include Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller; Seven Guitars and Jitney by August Wilson; American Son by Christopher Demos-Brown, and Stickfly directed by Tony-nominated Kenny Leon. Off Broadway highlights include Seven Guitars with Viola Davis; Loose Blossoms with Chadwick Boseman; and Macbeth at the Old Globe Theatre. Television and film include HBO series Oz, Law and Order, Shaft, Peeples, Marvels, and Something to Give. He directed ten August Wilson Plays in 2005 to 2008 at the Laney Museum to sellout crowds. An acclaimed director, actor, playwright, and teacher, Mr. Bates was awarded the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024. Mr. Bates is very excited to bring the series of theatrical readings to a new generation.

Tickets are now available at LucyCraftLaneyMuseum.com.

The Laney Museum is located at 1116 Phillips Street, Augusta, GA 30901. For questions please call 706-724-3576.