The 6-8 PM evening at the Wilson Theatre will honor Wilson's lifework and will feature such special guests as Samuel G. Freedman, Tony Kushner, Romulus Linney, Marion McClinton, Phylicia Rashad, Ishmael Reed, Frank Rich and Constanza Romero.
"The August Wilson Century Cycle" comprises Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Fences, Two Trains Running, Jitney, King Hedley II and Radio Golf.
Each of Wilson's plays documents a decade in the history of African-American culture during the 20th century, beginning with Gem of the Ocean (1904) through Broadway's recent Radio Golf (1997). The majority of Wilson's plays are set in the Pittsburgh Hill District, where he was born and raised.
The new collection features forwards from such notables as Tony Kushner, Phylicia Rashad, Laurence Fishburne, Frank Rich, Toni Morrison and Suzan-Lori Parks as well as a series introduction by John Lahr.
Each play is printed in hardcover and may be purchased separately from the collection for $25; the full collection is currently available for $200 from Theatre Communications Group. Visit www.tcg.org for more information. *
Playwright August Wilson won the Tony Award for Fences as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Fences and The Piano Lesson. All of Wilson's plays were Tony-nominated for Best Play with the exception of Jitney, which played Off-Broadway and won an Olivier for its London production. Wilson is the first African-American playwright to have a Broadway theatre in his name. Wilson died of liver cancer in October 2005, shortly after finishing rewrites on what would be his last play, Radio Golf, the final chapter in his ten-play legacy.