August Wilson Society

📣 FREE Freedom School Series for Youth (Ages 11–18)!
Omniwerx and The Village Initiative are teaming up to offer an inspiring and educational experience centered on August Wilson’s American Century Cycle — a powerful exploration of African American history and culture through theatre.

🎭 Classes are FREE and held one Saturday a month from August 2025 to May 2026.
🗓️ First session: August 16, 2025
🕚 Time: 11 AM – 1 PM
📍 Location: St. John’s Baptist Church, 1397 Penniman Rd, Williamsburg, VA
💻 One virtual session (Oct 18 via Zoom)

🧑🏽‍🏫 Led by Omiyemi (Artisia) Green, MFA
🎓 Designed to empower the next generation of culture bearers and change agents.

👉🏽 Enrollment closes August 8! Scan the QR code in the flyer or message us for the registration link.

📚 BOOKS NEEDED!
Help our students dive into these timeless plays by donating copies of Wilson’s works (see flyer for list).
📍 Drop-off location: Bray School Lab – Barrett House, 341 W. Francis St., Williamsburg, VA
📩 To arrange a donation pickup, contact:
[email protected] or [email protected]

August Wilson Society reflects on the legacy of two-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright on his 80th birthday! We will continue to uplift his stories and what he has done for the people through his plays. 

GREAT NEWS! The August Wilson Society’s 2025 Biennial Colloquium registration site is now open! Since spots are limited, we highly recommend registering as soon as possible to secure your place.
Please register by following the link in our bio!

Have you reserved your hotel?

The August Wilson Society has contracted with the Hilton Garden Inn University Place, 3454 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA. The hotel rates are $169 per night for a single room and $179 per night for a double room. Accommodations include a complimentary breakfast daily and one free drink ticket at the hotel bar each evening.

We suggest reserving your discounted hotel room as soon as possible, as the deadline to book is Wednesday, March 12. Use the following link to reserve your room: HiltonGardenInn_2025AWSColloquium.

Colloquium highlights:

Keynote Speaker: Omiyẹmi (Artisia) Green, Professor of Theatre and Africana Studies, University Professor of Teaching Excellence, and Provost Faculty Fellow at William and Mary.

Special Performance Presentation by the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Directed by Mark Clayton Southers

Tour of the August Wilson: Writer’s Landscape Exhibit at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center

Explore the August Wilson Archive situated in Hillman Library. The registration site features a link for individuals interested in conducting research in the archive on Saturday, April 5, 2025.

The full colloquium agenda will be released in early March!

We are looking forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh in April. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions @ [email protected]

Sincerely,

The AWS 2025 Colloquium Committee

Caption: We remember Martin Luther King Jr.  and August Wilson when he celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a reading at the 92nd Street Y’s Unterberg Poetry Center on January 21, 1991.  Listen to the recording here: https://m.soundcloud.com/user-243983744/august-wilson-on-mlk-at-the-92y or click the link in our bio.

PULITZER-WINNING PLAYWRIGHT AUGUST WILSON
TO BE HONORED POSTHUMOUSLY WITH STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME.
LIVESTREAM Tuesday, January 7, 2025 11:30AM PT
www.walkoffame.com

Call for Proposals August Wilson Society’s Biennial Colloquium on  Deadline Extended to January 10, 2025 Celebrating 20 Years: August Wilson’s Legacy and The Confluence of Voices in Literary and Cultural Expression

April 2-5, 2025 The Hillman Library at the University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA

The year 2025 will mark August Wilson’s 80th Birthday. It also marks the 20th anniversary of his death. As one of the nation’s foremost literary figures, his body of work has and continues to influence literary figures and artists while simultaneously expanding audiences as a result of his lasting critical and commercial success. In honor of Wilson’s secured legacy and his continuous renewal of one of America’s greatest documentarians of the African American experience, the August Wilson Society invites proposals for its upcoming 2025 colloquium, Celebrating 20 Years: August Wilson’s Legacy and The Confluence of Voices in Literary and Cultural Expression. 

Click the link in our bio to submit your proposal!

Join us this Sunday, November 24th, from 6:00-7:30 PM EST, for an exclusive virtual event celebrating the premiere of Netflix’s The Piano Lesson!

This exciting session, hosted by Michael Dinwiddie, features:
🎥 Malcolm Washington, Director of The Piano Lesson
🎭 Rosalyn Coleman Williams, who starred in both the original Broadway production and Hallmark’s 1995 film adaptation of The Piano Lesson. Having worked with legends Lloyd Richards and August Wilson, Rosalyn will bring invaluable insights about the play’s text, staging, and production.
📖 Dr. Sandra G. Shannon, President Emerita of the August Wilson Society and a leading scholar of Wilson’s work

✨ Submit your questions: forms.gle/jkcmzqQKVUpAYr677
📲 Register here: AWSLive.eventbrite.com

Don’t miss this insightful discussion with our incredible panel as they explore the timeless impact of The Piano Lesson!

✨ Happy Sunday, everyone! ✨

We’re excited to share the flyer for an upcoming Virtual Jam Session hosted by the August Wilson Society, celebrating the film adaptation of THE PIANO LESSON 🎹, directed by Malcolm Washington. Mark your calendars for Sunday, November 24th, from 6-7:30 pm EST and join us for this free event!

Tap the link in our bio to register or visit AWSLive.eventbrite.com. 📲 Spread the word, invite friends, and don’t miss out on this vibrant discussion!

For more info about the film, check out Netflix’s page. 🎬

This past Saturday, October 12, the August Wilson Society (AWS) hosted “An Odyssey of Self-Discovery: A Conversation About Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” in Baltimore, Maryland, under the auspices of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company and the Baltimore August Wilson Celebration. Dr. Khalid Y. Long moderated the insightful conversation between actor Jefferson A. Russell (who played Seth) and Dr. Sandra Shannon, founder and president emerita of the August Wilson Society.  Audience members included students from Howard University, Coppin State University, and Baltimoreans. AWS purchased 20 tickets and provided free admission to the performance of JOE TURNER’s COME AND GONE  following the conversation. The production, directed by Kenyatta Rogers, is the second August Wilson play to be presented in Baltimore’s three-year celebration of the 10-play American Century Cycle.  Leslie Malin, artistic director of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Theatre, was instrumental in creating this first-ever collaboration of Baltimore theatres to celebrate one of America’s greatest playwrights. AWS Board members Abdul Ali, Michael Dinwiddie, and Isaiah Wooden journeyed to Baltimore to support their colleagues Khalid Long and Sandra Shannon for this illuminating conversation.  For more information on the theatres involved and upcoming productions of the August Wilson Century Cycle, click on the AMERICAN THEATRE ARTICLE and the
CHESAPEAKE PRESS RELEASE links in our bio.