Playwright, How I Learned What I Learned

One of the most influential and important voices in modern theatre, August Wilson was an award-winning playwright who authored The Pittsburgh Cycle, a collection of plays that explored the joys and struggles of African American life in the 20th century, decade by decade. This opus includes Gem of the Ocean (OSF 2007), Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (OSF 1993), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (OSF 2005), The Piano Lesson (OSF 2003), Seven Guitars (OSF 1999), Fences (OSF 2009, OSF Portland 1991), Two Trains Running (OSF 2013), Jitney, King Hedley II and Radio Golf. Mr. Wilson’s work garnered many awards, including Pulitzer Prizes for Fences (1987) and The Piano Lesson (1990); a Tony Award for Fences; an Olivier Award for Jitney; as well as seven New York Drama Critics Circle Awards. Additionally, Mr. Wilson was awarded Rockefeller and Guggenheim Fellowships in Playwriting, the Whiting Writers Award, a 1999 National Humanities Medal, and numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities. Mr. Wilson was an alumnus of New Dramatists, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1995.