Portland Playhouse’s season opener is an atypical combo: a rarely-seen play by and about a major icon of American theater. How I Learned What I Learned is August Wilson’s autobiographical solo show, in which the playwright recounts his experiences, from formative moments as a young black artist living in Pittsburgh to becoming the critically lauded, Pulitzer-winning author of the American Century Cycle. Highly recommended if you care about intersections of art and race, and the “small irrevocable tragedies” that, as Wilson puts it, make up a life. Kevin Jones, co-founder and artistic director of the August Wilson Red Door Project, will direct. MEGAN BURBANK