Who Is August Wilson?

Professor Dr. Pamela Reed

English 201-61

16 June 2015

August Wilson

        Who is August Wilson? Until I began this assignment I had never hear of August Wilson. Wilson was an American playwright. He was born Frederick August Kittel, Jr in Pittsburg. He gain his inspiration from reading the works of Langston Hughes, and Ralph Ellison. He was also inspired by the blues and the language use in the blues songs. The language used with in the  blues songs, was very similar to the language that he hear around him. This inspired Wilson’s raw writing style. His inspiration lead to a lot of the themes in his pays like, segregation, discrimination, love and hate. Wilson stated that the first song he ever heard on a recored was “ Nobody in Town Can Bake a Sweet Jelly Roll Like Mine” by Bessie Smith. August Wilson is notably know for his series of ten plays titled, The Pittsburg Cycle which is also know as “ Century Cycle”. The Pittsburg Cycle depicts “ the comic and tragic aspects of the African American experience in the 20th century.” (Pulitzer) In this cycle each decade has a different play. A lot of the plays in this cycle is set in Pittsburg, where Wilson grew up. The New York Times called The Pittsburg Cycle, “One of the most ambitious dramatic objects ever undertaken.” (Isherwood) Wilson received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama in 1987. The Pulitzer Prizes for Drama is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes, this particular prize is given to a person for their achievements in theater.  

        The Pittsburg Cycle, portrays the the ups and downs the African Americans experience. He begins his play with “ the complex narrative of freedom at the turn of the century (Gem of the Ocean) and ending with the assimilation and sense of alienation of the 1990s (Radio Golf).” ( Green) There are not many plays or movies that cast African Americans for leading roles, nor base their entire concept or story around the life of an African American person. Thus, Wilson’s play was an important accomplishment in the African American community. Wilson stated that "Colorblind casting is an aberrant idea that has never had any validity other than as a tool of Cultural Imperialists who view American culture , rooted in the icons of European culture, as beyond reproach in its perfection . . . ,” Wilson believed that there was no need for color blind casting.  Color blind cast is the casting of a role, with out basing your decision on a person ethics. The purpose of this type of casting is to avoid any bias, and racism casting. Wilson believed there was a need for more support in black theaters and other culturally divorced theaters.