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Historical Background and Dramaturgy

Photo of Allen Gilmore and Alfred H. Wilson by Michael Brosilow.

Explore the historical context of Radio Golf and the dramaturgy underpinning Court Theatre’s production.

Historical Background

Dramaturgy

There is a strong connection between the characters and history of both Radio Golf and the first play in the Century Cycle, Gem of the Ocean. Check out the show page and Learning Guide for Gem of the Ocean to explore this connection more deeply! 

Harmond and Mame argue about whether or not to name the new development after the first Black nurse in Pittsburgh. Learn more about Black nurses below:

Harmond’s twin brother Raymond was killed in Vietnam. Learn more about the Vietnam War with these resources. 

Tiger Woods gazes into the distance as he holds the end of his swing. He wears a blue golf shirt, white hat, and one white glove.
Tiger Woods competing at the 2018 Quicken Loans National (a PGA Tour golf tournament). Image from KA Sports Photos from Hanover, MD, USA. https://www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison/42998180042/.
A close-up shot of a soldier with a slight smile, looking directly at the camera. He wears a helmet, the band of which says War is Hell.
An unidentified American soldier wears a hand-lettered slogan on his helmet, June 1965. The soldier was serving with the 173rd Airborne Brigade on defense duty at the Phuoc Vinh airfield. Image from Horst Faas/AP. https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/522210830/ausablecenter.org.
A Black veteran hurls his medal in the direction of the camera while a large crowd of people sit and stand behind him, looking on.
“Vietnam Veterans Throw Their Medals Away in Protest Against the War, 1971.” Image by Fred W. McDarrah. https://www.vvaw.org/veteran/article/?id=1882&hilite=dewey.
Five helicopters fly and fire as soldiers navigate tall grass towards the treeline.
Hovering U.S. Army helicopters pour machine gun fire into a tree line to cover the advance of South Vietnamese ground troops in an attack on a Viet Cong camp 18 miles north of Tay Ninh, near the Cambodian border, in March of 1965. Image from Horst Faas/AP. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/03/the-vietnam-war-part-i-early-years-and-escalation/389054/.
A brick house in disrepair, in need of repairs and a fresh coat of paint.
Harmond and Roosevelt are betting on the neighborhood being declared blighted. Image from https://housingalliancepa.org/blight-prevention-and-remediation/.
A young Tiger Woods with his arm around an older Black gentleman who is grinning and has salt-and-pepper hair.
Bill Wright, first Black Professional Golfer to win a USGA golf tournament, and Tiger Woods. Image from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bill_Wright_and_Tiger_Woods.jpg.

Posted on July 9, 2026 in Learning Guides, Productions

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