Theatre Conversations: August Wilson

When asked to describe the work of legendary playwright August Wilson, actor James Earl Jones said,”…when he writes he leaves some blood on the page. You can’t get that stuff out of yourself without hurt. It’s not therapy; it’s more like revelation.” August Wilson was one of America’s most significant and successful playwrights. He undertook an ambitious playwriting project: to chronicle the central issues African Americans have faced by writing one play for each decade of the 20th century. Wilson’s work accurately portrays the black experience in America-addressing themes of struggle (violence, economic injustices, unemployment, poverty and neglect, racism, civil rights, unlawful imprisonment, the legacy of slavery) as well as themes of triumph (the strength of family ties and loyalties, the uniqueness of black culture and the fight to preserver and value it). In this intimate conversation, August Wilson discusses his life, his influences, and his approach to working with others to bring his work to the stage (recorded in 2001 at C. D. Hylton High School in Woodbridge, VA).