Soul Rep Theatre Company Will Present GEM OF THE OCEAN With Updated Run Dates
The August Wilson play will run at South Dallas Cultural Center as part of the Parrish Foundation series.
Soul Rep Theatre Company will present GEM OF THE OCEAN by August Wilson from February 12 through February 22, 2026, at the South Dallas Cultural Center. The updated schedule follows a one-week delay due to winter weather impacting the Dallas area.
The production is part of the Parrish Charitable Foundation August Wilson Play Series and marks Soul Rep Theatre Company’s return to the South Dallas Cultural Center, where the company will be in residence during its 30th Anniversary Season.
GEM OF THE OCEAN
Directed by Jemal McNeil, GEM OF THE OCEAN is set in 1904 and is the first play chronologically in Wilson’s American Century Cycle, though it was the last written. The play serves as a foundational work within the ten-play series, exploring themes of ancestry, migration, citizenship, and freedom in post-Reconstruction America.
The story centers on Citizen Barlow, a young man seeking redemption, who encounters Aunt Ester, a 285-year-old spiritual guide. Through her, he undertakes a metaphysical journey aboard the mythical ship Gem of the Ocean, linking African ancestral memory with Black life in the early 20th century.
Anyika McMillan-Herod, co-founder and executive director of Soul Rep Theatre Company, said, “We are thrilled to provide our second August Wilson ‘offering’ to the Dallas/Fort Worth community with GEM OF THE OCEAN, the first play in chronological order in his 20th Century ten-play cycle. In these times, it's more important than ever to create and share art and stories examining healing, identity, and resistance. GEM hits the mark on each.”
The production will include a Community Night on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., with Opening Night scheduled for Friday, February 13, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. Audience talkbacks will follow all matinee performances during the run. Casting information will be announced separately.
GEM OF THE OCEAN is presented as part of Soul Rep Theatre Company’s 30th Anniversary Season, which reflects three decades of community-centered Black theatre and Sankofa-inspired storytelling.
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