August Wilson touched off a vigorous debate in the theater world when he declared, in 1996, that “colorblind casting is an aberrant idea” and a tool of “cultural imperialism.” Wilson, one of postwar America’s most significant playwrights, was addressing the national conference of the nonprofit organization Theatre Communications Group (where I once worked). His force (...)
Stage
Fertile Ground
August Wilson's 'Fences'
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I first encountered August Wilson's work when living in Pgh. Later I saw "Jitney" on the large stage and "King Hedley" on the small stage at the Alliance in Atlanta, the first I believe while Kenny Leon was artistic director. "The Piano Lesson" was I believe on TV.
The Alliance is known for their stagings. The set for Jitney seemed to have been moved directly from the waiting room of car repair shop in Manchester, NorSide, Pgh.
While Wilson is a first class story-teller, his greatest genius is his dialogue. It doesn't sound like dialogue -- it just sounds like people talking. You come to think you are eavesdropping.
There was an interview of him on TV more than a decade ago. His description of a small scene in a cafe between 4 men and a waitress showed the sensitivity of his ear and eye -- the words, the inflections, the gestures -- a naturalist painter using the spoken word,
p.s. I wish you had a spellcheck feature