Ekundayo Bandele feels that the time has finally arrived.

Hattiloo Theatre, the black repertory company he founded on Marshall Avenue, is halfway through its fourth season. His team of actors and stagehands gets stronger with every show. New productions come at a breakneck pace. ("I like having energy in the building," he says.)

And now, he wants his actors to get some respect.

Cooli Crawford stars in "The Piano Lesson," the second August Wilson play to be performed at Hattiloo Theatre, following last season's home-run production of "Fences."Christopher BlankSpecial to The Commercial Appeal

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"It's time for black actors to have name recognition in this community," he said. "I was listening to the 'Checking on the Arts' broadcast (on WKNO-FM 91.1) the other day and they were interviewing two actresses in a Theatre Memphis show. It was implied that everybody knew who they were. I thought: There's no reason people shouldn't know our people, too."

With the opening of August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson" last weekend, Bandele has started featuring actors' names on posters, in lieu of having a marquee.

"They deserve it," he said.

It's a small distinction, he realizes. But then, Wilson's plays aren't easy to take on, even by seasoned pros. The film and television actor Charles Dutton (from television's "Roc") says he's harder than Shakespeare to get right.

"The Piano Lesson" is the second Wilson drama mounted by the company. Eventually, Bandele plans to do all 10 in the anthology, but this title was an accessible follow-up to last season's critical home-run production of "Fences," a show that altered some perceptions of the theater.

Hattiloo, for example, is now in the running for Ostrander Awards, the local equivalent of the Tonys.

Cooli Crawford, who stars in the role that Dutton made famous in a film version, is glad to be considered. But he's even more happy just to have a stage he can regularly act on.

"If you're into lifting weights, you go to a gym," he says. "If you're into football, you find a field. And if you are into acting, Hattiloo is going to help mold you."

Crawford thinks the company performs a valuable service to black audiences.

"I don't know about you, but when I was in school, they didn't teach black history," Crawford said. " A lot of people are getting to know more about our culture because the plays we are doing are about African people."

All of Wilson's plays focus on the African-American experience in the 20th century. In "The Piano Lesson," one character wants to sell an old family piano to raise money to start a new business. But the piano has a history dating back to slavery.

Actor T.C. Sharpe, who starred in "Fences" and is now in his second production of "The Piano Lesson," says that Wilson's works "speak to the struggle of my people."

Sharpe, who has been acting in Memphis for at least 35 years and has appeared in several films, says that Hattiloo's mission -- black produced, directed and acted plays -- are integral for this community.

"Ekundayo brings immense opportunity for black people to be doing Broadway-style plays," he said. "He's awakened the imagination of the black community that has been asleep for so long."

Sharpe, who teaches high school chemistry and physics, believes that "Fences" showed audiences the level of talent Hattiloo already has under its roof.

"Memphis is a magnet for talent," he said. "Now we just need to give them opportunity."

'The Piano Lesson'

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 28 at Hattiloo Theatre, 656 Marshall. Tickets are $15-$22. Call 525-0009.