AUGUST WILSON By: Raneicia Quinn

Early Life  He was born: Frederick August Kittel  August Wilson was born on April 27, 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania father was German immigrant and his mother was an African American  He lived in the Hill District, in Pittsburgh, along with his five brothers and sisters  His mom raised them in an apartment with no running hot water,behind a grocery store in the Hill District  At age 20 he adopted the name August Wilson, to pay homage to his mother

Middle stage  He worked many jobs to support himself including a dishwasher, cook, and gardener  In 1962, August Wilson enlisted in the army for three years and left after serving for one year  He worked many jobs to support himself including a dishwasher, cook, and gardener  In 1965,when he bought his first typewriter, he began to write poetry  Wilson submitted his poetry to magazines like Harpers  He started writing in cafes, bars, a local cigar store, and on table napkins  Augusts’ goal was to listen to the people(characters) he saw in these places and write what he heard

Awards  Pulitzer Prize for Drama:  The Piano Lesson (1990)  Fences (1987)  Tony Award for Best Play:  Fences (1987)  Tony Award for Best Revival of Play:  Fences (2010)

Most known for  August Wilson is most known for covering every decade of the 20 th century with ten plays explaining the African American experience  These plays were called The Pittsburgh Cycle or the Century Cycle  All of these plays were set in the same district that August lived in as a child, the Hill District, except for one (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)  These plays were called The Pittsburgh Cycle or the Century Cycle  All of these plays were set in the same district that August lived in as a child, the Hill District, except for one (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)

Play Wright “Fences”  Fences is surrounded by a character named Troy. He is trying to navigate through life, after having the talent to play in the Major Leagues. However, because of the race barrier, he was unable to play. He now works as a garbage man, but is able to move up the ranks from barrel lifter to driver (a huge racial statement). Troy tries his best to be a good man, while taking care of two boys, his wife, and looking after his disabled brother. However, he falls short many times and is reminded by some of the characters in the play. Fences opened on March 26, 1987 on Broadway, at the 46 th Street Theatre. It was directed by Lloyd Richards and featured James Earl Jones as Troy and Mary Alice as Rose. All three won Tony Awards for the play.

The Pittsburgh Cycle  August Wilson is most known for covering every decade of the 20 th century with ten plays explaining the African American experience  These plays were called The Pittsburgh Cycle or the Century Cycle  All of these plays were set in the same district that August lived in as a child, the Hill District, except for one (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)  These plays were called The Pittsburgh Cycle or the Century Cycle  All of these plays were set in the same district that August lived in as a child, the Hill District, except for one (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)

Why is he important ?  August Wilson was able to paint a picture of how African Americans lived in America. He was able to display his experience, in Pittsburgh, with the world. Through all of this, he paved the way for other African American playwrights and those who are yet to come. He is most important because His poetic language made it easy to sympathize or even criticize the characters he created. His characters were amazingly human, in the struggles that they faced in everyday life. August was able to make all of his characters relatable. This is even true for people who were not African Americans. Wilson was known for writing what he heard. He listened everywhere he went and created characters based upon the things he heard. Wilson also used his childhood as a basis for many of his plays.

Why is he important?  Many were centered around the struggles that African Americans faced. They resembled his neighborhood as well as the discrimination he faced. Wilson was able to take a complex culture and make it relatable to anyone who was willing to watch and listen. August’s main goal was to teach the non- African American what is was like to be an African American. He did it so effortlessly and used the theatre as his platform.  This allowed for people to learn things about a culture that they may not have had any interest in before. In all, August Wilson was able to use his poetic language and recollection of people to create phenomenal, identifiable characters. He realized that theatre brought everyone together to experience an extension of real life and used it to his advantage. Without August Wilson, many roads would not have been made accessible for other African American playwrights, actors, and most of all directors.

Current Times  On October 16, 2005 the Virginia Theatre in New York’s Broadway theatre district was renamed the August Wilson Theatre  This is the first Broadway theatre named after an African American  In 2010 Viola Davis and Denzel Washington starred in a revival of Fences directed by Kenny Leon  Davis won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play, during this revival  In 2013, The Piano Lesson won a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Reviva

start at 22 seconds August Wilson ~ poem for my grandfather

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