UniSon

A dying poet leaves a mysterious box to his young female apprentice…with strict instructions to destroy it. On his way to the afterlife, he is forced to come back when the apprentice finds and opens the box containing “The Seven Terrors,” seven situations in the poet’s life that he left unresolved. Each “Terror” will have its own unique look and feel in this multi-media play that fuses storytelling, poetry, dance, and music with styles ranging from jazz and blues to hip-hop. 

The play presents fables that contain many of playwright August Wilson’s favored themes—ghosts, legacy and magic—to tell a darkly lyrical story inspired by Wilson’s mostly unpublished poetry. Thrilling and theatrical, UniSon is a world premiere production by one of the nation’s leading ensembles, UNIVERSES. It contains strong language and references to murder.

The Angus Bowmer Theatre is outfitted with an elevator that takes patrons to either Row E or Row K.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is committed to accessibility. We recognize the needs of persons with disabilities and strive to make our facilities and productions accessible to all. OSF offers a variety of accommodations, outlined here.

Esta experiencia teatral llena de música y de alta energía y multimedia explora la poesía del escritor maestro de obras de teatro, August Wilson, en una producción singular por UNIVERSES, uno de los principales conjuntos de la nación. Con el acceso concedido al catálogo de poesía de Wilson, UNIVERSES lo armoniza en una mítica historia moderna de un poeta moribundo que lega una caja misteriosa a su aprendiz… con rigurosas instrucciones de destruirla. Con mucha curiosidad, el aprendiz abre la caja, soltando a los terrores que atormentaron al maestro durante su vida. Este estreno mundial funde la poesía, el teatro, el baile y la música para explorar la reconstrucción de la memoria colectiva, ofreciendo las palabras de Wilson a un nuevo siglo y una nueva generación.

Idoneidad obra contiene fuerte profanidad, violencia (incluyendo a temas del abuso sexual y del asesinato), sexualidad y posible desnudez. Como es una obra en desarrollo, favor de averiguar los detalles en una fecha más cerca del estreno.

How does one adapt poetry to the stage? How much reverence should one have to the delicacy of structure and articulation of the meter that one is adapting? There can no more be another August Wilson play than there can be another August Wilson. He was unique and individual. Thus must this performance be; we must separate it as far as possible from anything resembling an August Wilson play. That is what I truly believe will be the honor and the tribute to the man.

UNIVERSES are all poets. Adventurous and fire-breathing artists. When they approached me about directing their new musical inspired by the poetry of August Wilson, I was instantly skeptical, only because there has been such reverence surrounding his work. And of course, I’m not one known for reverence. Being a playwright myself, I look at any work and seek to break it open and make it as fully alive as possible.

The challenge of this project is to tell a wholly original story inspired by one of the greatest dramatists to grace the Earth, without tying our tale to any particular thread of August Wilson’s biography. The poetry is glorious and at times frightening, and I hope the story that it has inspired of a Poet haunted by Seven Terrors is just as thrilling.

This is not a poetry reading or slam. For the most part, you will not be hearing any one complete piece of poetry from August Wilson. I disclose this, not to lessen your expectation but to change and maybe even enhance it. This performance is created by a collective of Poets being inspired by another Poet. Like Shakespeare and the Greeks have inspired hundreds of dramatists through the centuries, I would hope that by the end of our journey you will sense a reverence, from one creative mind for another.

—Robert O‘Hara