Conference Program“Go Back and Pick Up the Ball”:

An August Wilson Society Colloquiumupdated 3/25/18

Thursday, April 26 – Saturday, April 28, 2018The August Wilson Center – African American Culture Center

980 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15222

“…the black middle class seems to be divorcing themselves from [the black] community, making their fortune on their own without recognizing or acknowledging their connection to the larger community.…We have gained a lot of sophistication and expertise and resources, and we should be helping that community.…I thought: How do I show that you can go back[?]...we have resources.…Put that expertise that we’ve gained to some use.”

—August Wilson, 2005

DAY 1 — Thursday, April 26_____________________________________

8:00am – 5:00pm — Registration (August Wilson Center [AWC], TBD)

9:00 – 9:10am — Welcome (AWC, TBD)

Janis Burley Wilson President & CEO, August Wilson Center–African American Cultural Center

9:10 – 9:30am — Opening RemarksDr. Sandra G. ShannonPresident & Founder, The August Wilson Society and 2018 Colloquium Organizer

9:45 – 10:45am — Morning Plenary: August Wilson’s “Smoketown” Roots” (AWC, TBD)

Mark Whitaker, Journalist, AuthorMark Whitaker’s newest book, The Untold Story of Smoketown: The Other Great Black Renaissance (Simon & Schuster, Jan. 2018), paints a picture of August Wilson’s beloved Pittsburgh community during a time when the story of Black culture in mid-20th century Pittsburgh was filled with engaging musicians, athletes, and journalists. According to one critic, Smoketown makes a plausible argument that the cultural achievements of African

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Americans in this western Pennsylvania steel town often rivaled those of the much better-known Harlem Renaissance in New York City.

Day 1 — Thursday, April 26 (cont.’d) __________________________________

10:45 – 11:00am — Break

11:00am – 12:30pm — Roundtable: “Making African American History Breathe”

[Insert 2-3 statements describing the focus of this roundtable.]

Samuel W. Black, Director of African American Programs at the Senator John Heinz History Center in association with the Smithsonian Institution, Pittsburgh, PA

Aaron Bryant, Museum Curator, Photography and Visual CultureSmithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History & Culture

William Daw is Curator of the Curtis Theatre Collection within the University of Pittsburgh Library System’s Archives & Special Collections and library liaison to the university’s Theatre Arts Department. 

Megan Massanelli is the Kuntu Repertory Theatre Project Archivist for the University of Pittsburgh's University Library System, Archives & Special Collections. 

Christopher Rawson, Board member of August Wilson House, Theater Critic at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and English Department Lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh

Janis Burley Wilson: President and CEO of the August Wilson Center—African American Culture Center, Pittsburgh, PA [not yet confirmed] (AWC, TBD)

12:30 – 1:45pm — Lunch Break (On Your Own)

Colloquium attendees can pre-order boxed lunches during the morning or venture outside the August Wilson Center to patronize one of the many nearby restaurants. Go to http://visitpittsburgh.org/ for information on more food choices within Pittsburgh and surrounds.

2:00 – 2:30pm — Introducing the August Wilson Journal

[Insert 2-3 statements describing the focus of this session.]

The August Wilson Journal is a peer-reviewed, open-access, online scholarly journal, promoting the study, teaching, and performance of Mr. Wilson’s work. Published by the University of Pittsburgh's Office of Scholarly Communication and Publishingand sponsored by Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and the August Wilson Societythe inaugural edition is on track for publication in late 2018.

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Michael Downing is Professor of English at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and Editor of the August Wilson Journal. He is also Editor of the August Wilson Blog and coordinator of the August Wilson Society through the American Literature Association.

David Anderson, Managing Editor of the August Wilson Journal (AWC, TBD)

2:30 – 3:45pm — Roundtable: “Approaches to Teaching August Wilson’s Plays in the College Classroom”

[Insert 2-3 statements describing the focus of this roundtable.]

Marla Anzalone: PhD candidate and instructor in the Department of English at Duquesne University.

Sadie Crow is a second-year Master’s student at Duquesne University studying contemporary American literature and film.

Rachel L. Gasson is a doctoral student at Duquesne University, studying Modernist American Poetry and Jewish-American Women’s Literature.

John Hadlock is a PhD student at Duquesne University where he studies 19th and 20th century American literature, particularly turn-of-the-century African American and women’s literature.

Courtney Mullis is a first-year PhD student at Duquesne University studying 20th century and contemporary American fiction.

Indy Recker is a PhD Student and Teaching Fellow in the English Department at Duquesne University.

Alexandra Reznik is a PhD candidate in English and a Racial Equality Social Justice Junior Research Fellow (AWC, TBD)

3:45 – 4:00pm — Break

4:00 – 5:15pm — Panel: “Taking a Stand: August Wilson’s Playbook on Black Liberation” [Insert 2-3 statements describing the focus of this panel.]

Sala Udin, [not yet confirmed]

Patrick Maley, "The Bible, God, and August Wilson"Centenary University, Hackettstown, NJ

Dale Byan, “The Resilience of Space in the Plays of August Wilson”Brooklyn College, City University of New York

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Marcia Berry, “We are Women Phenomenally: Feminist Consciousness in August Wilson's Ma Rainey" 

University of Missouri, Columbia(AWC, TBD)

5:15 – 6:45pm — Dinner Break (“On Your Own”)

Colloquium attendees can pre-order dinner delivers during the morning or venture outside the August Wilson Center to patronize one of the many nearby restaurants. Go to http://visitpittsburgh.org/ for information on more food choices within Pittsburgh and surrounds.

7:00 – 9:00pm — The Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Presents…A Staged Reading of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, Featuring Ron Himes, Founding Artistic Director, St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre

(AWC, TBD)

Day 2 — Friday, April 27_________________________________________

9:00am – 12:00pm — Shuttle Service To and From the August Wilson House(August Wilson Center, Front Entrance)

10:00am – 12:00pm — Groundbreaking Ceremonies for the August Wilson House(1727 Bedford Avenue, Pittsburgh PA)

You won’t want to miss this! This historic groundbreaking event will mark the final phase in the renovation of August Wilson’s boyhood home and celebrate a fundraising milestone that offset the full cost of construction. In the mix and present will be the late playwright’s widow and Estate Executor, Constanza Romero. Other attendees will include local and national politicians, news media representatives, high-profile celebrities, and—of course—members of the August Wilson Society and Colloquium attendees! Roundtrip shuttle service to transport Colloquium participants to and from the groundbreaking site will begin at 9am from the front entrance of the August Wilson Center. Shuttles will continue looping between the Center and the Wilson House every 15 minutes, making a final loop back to the Center at 12 noon.Food and drinks will be available onsite.

12:00 – 1:00pm — Break

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1:00 – 2:30pm — Plenary: “A Conversation with Constanza Romero”

(AWC, TBD)Constanza Romero Costume Designer, Widow of August Wilson, and Executor of his EstateRomero will share her thoughts on the creative and collaborative processes “behind the design” of select pieces of award-winning costumes that she created specifically for August Wilson’s plays. She will also discuss the demands of her role as Executor of the August Wilson Estate and opine on the impact of her late husband’s dramatic works.

2:30 – 2:40pm — Break

2:40 – 3:55pm — Roundtable: “Translators of August Wilson’s Canon”

Ron Himes, St. Louis Repertory Theatre, St. Louis, MO

Woodie King, New Federal Theatre, New York City, NY [not yet confirmed]

Eileen Morris, Houston Ensemble Theatre, Houston, TX

Derrick Sanders, Founding Artistic Director of Congo Square Theatre Company, Chicago, IL, University of Illinois at Chicago

Mark Southers, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA

Ekundayo Bandele, Hattiloo Theatre, Memphis, TN [not yet confirmed](AWC, TBD)

3:55 – 5:10pm — Panel: “Wrestling with and Defeating the Ghosts of History”

Aaron Bryant, “Les Lieux de Mémoire: August Wilson and the National Museum of African American History and Cultures as Sites of “Blood’s Memory,” National

Museum of African American History and Cultures, Washington, DC

Alan Nadel, “August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson: The Possession of the Piano and the Ghost of Human Property, “University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Michael Downing, “"A Sense of Spirit:  Exploring Myth and Mystical Practice in August Wilson's Century Cycle," Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown,

PA

Eva Diodati, “How to Shine Like New Money: Fighting White Supremacy in August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA

(AWC, TBD)

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5:10 – 5:40pm — The National August Wilson Monologue Competition: “August Wilson for a New Generation”

[Session participants not yet confirmed.](AWC, TBD)

5:40 – 6:00pm — Break 6:00 – 7:30pm — Opening Reception with Authors and Book Signings

(AWC, TBD)Sponsored by The August Wilson Center–African American Cultural Center

7:30pm — Shuttle Service to the August Wilson House (1727 Bedford Avenue)(AWC, Front Entrance)

8:00pm — The Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Presents… The Opening Night Performance of August Wilson’s King Hedley II

(1727 Bedford Avenue, Pittsburgh PA)This electrifying performance will be staged in the backyard of August Wilson’s boyhood home, located at 1727 Bedford Avenue in Pittsburgh. It will be an open-seating event and you must purchase your ticket in advance to attend. To order tickets, go online to https://www.pghplaywrights.org/hedley/ and use the promo code WILSONIAN to receive the discounted rate. Act now! Seating is limited!

Shuttle service will resume after the performance to return Colloquium attendees to the August Wilson Center.

***

Day 3 — Saturday, April 28______________________________________

8:00am – 12:00pm — Registration (AWC, TBD)

9:00 – 9:15am — Greetings and Opening Remarks

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Dr. Sandra G. ShannonPresident & Founder, The August Wilson Society and Colloquium Organizer

9:15 – 10:15am — Morning Plenary: “August Wilson in the Age of Trump and Tweets” (AWC, TBD)

Dr. Harry J. Elam, Stanford Drama Professor and Noted Wilson ScholarDr. Elam, author of The Past as Present in August Wilson’s Drama, will conjure up a world where a tweeting President is no match for the noble characters depicted in August Wilson’s American Century Cycle. While the former lies and hides behind spasmodic, 140-word rants, the latter wrestle with the full weight of their pasts to find the way forward. One may well wonder what kind of play Wilson might have written to address the present crisis of leadership that has seemingly divorced the nation from any progress it might have made in the years before Trump.

10:15 – 10:30am — Break

10:30am – 12:30pm — Roundtable and Workshop: “Keeping Company: August Wilson and the Creation of an Intergenerational Pedagogy of Place”

[Insert 2-3 statements describing this roundtable/workshop.]

Herman Beavers, University of Pennsylvania

Suzana Berger, University of Pennsylvania.(AWC, TBD)

12:30 – 1:30pm — Roundtable: “August Wilson, Student Activism, and the Classroom”

[Insert 2-3 statements describing the focus of this roundtable.]

Artisia Green, William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA

Chris Bell, University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, GA 

Ladrica Menson-Furr, University of Memphis

Vivian Spencer, ??

[Other participant TBD](AWC, TBD)

1:30 – 1:45pm — Break

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1:45 – 3:45pm — Roundtrip Shuttle Service to and from the August Wilson House(AWC, Front Entrance)

1:45 – 3:45pm — August Wilson House Block Party (Lunch on Your Own)(1727 Bedford Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA)

This annual community event will unfold in and around Wilson’s 1727 Bedford Avenue boyhood home. Colloquium attendees will have plentiful opportunities to delight in the sights, sounds, and tastes of Pittsburgh while strolling among the diverse crowds and partaking of the vendors’ artistic, literary, and culinary wares! The free shuttle service will loop between the August Wilson Center and a designated drop-off point for this event. The last shuttle will leave the Block Party at 3:45pm to return Colloquium attendees to the August Wilson Center.

4:00 – 5:30pm — Real-Time Video Conference with Wilsonian Luminaries from Stage and Screen

(August Wilson Center)Thanks to the magic of technology, our 2018 Colloquium attendees will enjoy a virtual roundtable discussion, in real time, with entertainment giants from the worlds of theatre, film, and television who remember August Wilson and who each breathed life into his characters and settings in their own ways. All will speak with authority about Wilson, the man and artist, and will share candid insights about the enduring resonance of his work. A brief interactive Q&A between the panelists and the in-person audience will follow.

[Participants pending confirmation]

5:30 – 5:45pm — Closing Remarks(August Wilson Center)

Dr. Sandra G. ShannonPresident & Founder, The August Wilson Society and Colloquium Organizer

5:45 – 6:00pm — Break

6:00 – 8:00pm — Closing Reception with Authors and Book Signings

(AWC, TBD)Sponsored by The August Wilson Society

8:00 – 8:30pm — Break

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8:30 – 9:00pm — Staged Reading: “Play Time” from Edward’s Blues(AWC, TBD)

Brian Roberts, a professor of literature and drama at Clarion University, will perform a staged reading from his original play, Edward’s Blues. This moving tale illuminates how and why Roberts’ grandfather—a blue-collar worker and minister from Pittsburgh’s Hill District—like other Black men of the early 1900s, survived oppression, racism, and discrimination in the workplace, in their neighborhoods, and in the military by simply refusing to give up.

Sunday, April 29_________________________________________________

Attention, All AWS Members: Please schedule your departures from Pittsburgh for later in the day on Sunday, April 29, so you can participate in the Annual Meeting of the August Wilson Society and attend the special Guided Walking Tour detailed below.

10:00am – 12:00pm — August Wilson Society Business Meeting(AWC, TBD)

Dr. Sandra G. Shannon, PresidingPresident & Founder, The August Wilson Society and Colloquium OrganizerThe agenda will include discussion of a host of exciting initiatives including the Society’s efforts to extend its outreach and create new partnerships, formalize new fundraising strategies, secure long-term sponsors, and develop the next slate of AWS officers. (The voting process for current AWS members will take place electronically by May 15. The results will be announced by May 31.)

12:00 – 12:30pm — Break

12:30 – 2:30pm — Guided Walking Tour of Pittsburgh’s “Hill District” (Lunch On Your Own) (AWS, Front Entrance)

Slip on or lace up your most comfortable pair of shoes and join your Colloquium and AWS colleagues on a two-hour walking tour of the now-immortalized and thriving Hill District—the inner-city Pittsburgh neighborhood that inspired the majority of August Wilson’s plays. The group will depart on foot from the August Wilson Center and return to the Center after the walk.

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Stay connected with AWS online at www.augustwilsonsociety.orgON FACEBOOK: @AugustWilson427 || ON TWITTER: #PickUpTheBall

“Go back and pick up the ball.” – August Wilson

The August Wilson Society is extremely grateful for the generous support provided to its 2018 Colloquium by the following sponsors:

The August Wilson Center–African American Cultural Center

Carnegie-Mellon University’s Center for African American Urban Studies and the Economy (CAUSE) and Department of History

Leadership Pittsburgh, Inc.

The University of Pittsburgh’s departments of Africana Studies, English, History, and Sociology; Humanities Center; and University Library System

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