Page 16 Minority & Small Business Week Mississippi Alberta North Portland September 28, 2016 Vancouver East County Beaverton photo by o Wen W alz Victor Mack is the playwright and poet August Wilson in the Portland Playhouse production of ‘How I Learned What I Learned,’ Wilson’s provocative autobiographical solo show about race, culture, oppression, hierarchy and power. ‘How I Learned What I Learned’ August Wilson’s solo show on race, power and more August Wilson is a national treasure. The Pulitzer Prize-win- ning playwright produced a series of 10 plays that serve as defining snapshots of African-American life during the 20th century. Before that, though, Wilson identified as a poet. How he viewed the world and vice versa, was explored through his “How I Learned What I Learned,” an autobiographical one-man show that is essentially a memoir. In this format, Wilson is talking directly to the audience about crit- ical issues of race and culture that remain relevant today. Portland Playhouse, the di- verse theater group which turned an old church at 602 N.E. Prescott St. into a theater venue, has pro- duced the show for a production that opened last week and contin- ues through Oct. 23. Co-conceived by Todd Kreidler and unveiled on the East Coast, this is the first perfor- mance of ‘How I Learned What I Learned’ with an African-Ameri- can director, Kevin Jones of Port- land, and star, Victor Mack, also of Portland. “It’s a must-see for anyone who’s a fan of August Wilson,” Portland Playhouse artistic direc- tor Brian Weaver says. “He draws us in with humor and lyrical sto- rytelling, and then calls us to ac- tion to make a more just world and be a better version of our- selves.” Performance times are Wednesday through Friday at 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets and more information, call the box office at 503-488- 5822 or visit portlandplayhouse. org.