A nearly 300-year-old "soul cleanser" leads several characters on a spiritual journey to discover the story of their past in the latest production from the University of Louisville's theater. "Gem of the Ocean" is the first play in playwright August Wilson's 10-production epic, "The Pittsburgh Cycle," which chronicles the black experience in the 20th century. Nominated for a Tony in 2005 after a run on Broadway, the play centers on Aunt Ester, a Pittsburgh "soul cleanser" and former slave who is rumored to be 285 years old and her efforts to help Citizen Barlow, a young black man who is seeking forgiveness for a crime he committed. As racial strife envelops Pittsburgh, Aunt Ester sends Citizen on a lyrical, spiritual journey on the ship Gem of the Ocean to the City of Bones.