BHS Day 23: August Wilson

Hi! For our final Music & Entertainment Spotlight we are going to be talking about one of the late early greats in the theatre. It's a part of the entertainment industry that I waffle between considering it as art or entertainment, because to me its both. Do you have things like that, that for you fall in two separate but similar categories? I think playwriting, script writing, writing in general, is very much an artform. But these things are written for a multitude of reasons, entertainment being one of them. A play, movie, book or even fanfiction will be touted as a 'must-see' or 'must-read' partially for its entertainment factor, so ultimately for me those who belong to the theatre belong to entertainment. I could make this a post in itself so let me pass the buck here. What say you? That's enough rambling from me today. Let's get to our entrant!

Source

Name: August Wilson, 1945-2005

Profession: Playwright, author, activist

Why is the Spotlight on him today? For his accomplishments and dedication to bring the Black experience to life in a way that has had enduring influence on the culture

Notables:
--Was the co-founder and director of the Pittsburgh-based Black Horizons Theatre, where he served as the resident director
--Was heavily inspired by the Black Arts Movement and made his mantle discussing the Black experience
--Based what is considered to be his first major play, 1984's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, on the life of Ma Rainey, which was a commercial and critical success when it opened on Broadway
--Received a fellowship from the Minnesota-based Playwrights' Center
--Wrote educational-based scripts for the Science Museum of Minnesota 
--Was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes throughout his career for his work
--Was the playwright behind the Tony Award winning play Fences, which was later made into a movie
--Had several of his poems published in poetry collection journals
--Was a company member of St. Paul's Penumbra Theatre
--Was posthumously honored by Broadway's Virginia Theater by having the building renamed after him
--Served on the Board of Trustees at the University of Pittsburgh, where he received one of his honorary doctorate degrees
--Received 7 New York Drama Critics' Circle awards throughout his career
--Was part of the group that founded the Centre Avenue Poets Theater Workshop
--Was posthumously honored by the African-American Cultural Center of Greater Pittsburgh by having it renamed the August Wilson Center for African-American Culture
--Is the namesake of the August Wilson Monologue Competition, which helps students improve their storytelling and acting skills in front of peers and industry professionals and introduces them to the talent of the program's namesake

Further reading links: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4


Quote of the Day: 
"“Have a belief in yourself that is bigger than anyone's disbelief.” 
--August Wilson