August Wilson (1945-2005)

By Keith Boykin, in theater
Sunday, October 2 2005, 10:46PM

August WilsonTonight the theater world mourns the loss of one of the greats. August Wilson, a legend on Broadway and in the theater community, passed away of liver cancer today. He was 60.

Wilson, a Pulitzer Prize-winner, was perhaps the greatest living African American playwright, and he was certainly the most famous. Decades ago, he set to do what no other playwright had ever done before -- to chronicle the history of blacks in the 20th century through a series of plays that took place in each of the decades of the 1900s.

I saw three of those plays -- "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" (1984), "King Hedley II" (2001) and "Gem of the Ocean" (2004) -- and I was always impressed by Wilson's ability to capture the youthful angst of black ambition measured against the aged wisdom of black experience.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Wilson died at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, where he has lived since leaving Minnesota in 1990. Fortunately, Wilson was able to complete his series before his death. "Radio Golf," the last of the 10 plays of the series, premiered at the Yale Repertory Theatre in April.

Comments (6) reveal

Comments conceal

Berry
October 2 2005, 11:44PM

This was a tremendous loss to the black theater community. The man is an icon!

Doug
October 3 2005, 8:13AM

I saw the story this morning on the cover of USA Today while on my way to work. I was stunned. I have often said I wished we had someone who would chronicle the black gay community the way August Wilson did the general black community. He was inspiration to me.

Bernie
October 3 2005, 10:28AM

It was a tremendous loss to the theater community as a whole! He was without equal.

hsj
October 3 2005, 11:07AM

I too am saddened by the death of Mr. Wilson. Having seen several of his plays and having been moved by each of them, I concur that his death leaves a huge void. Hopefully someone within our community will pick-up the torch and carry on the telling of our story. We have to.

Regan DuCasse
October 3 2005, 12:18PM

What a legacy this genius has left us!!
He's gone too soon, much too soon.
Hungry for more of him and his wisdom and observations of our American life.

Young playwrites would do well to aspire to his levels.
In this, our theater culture would be saved and edified.
He lives in us...

Angela Roberts
October 4 2005, 3:00PM

August Wilson was one of the brilliant black American playwrights. His work is genius. I've seen all but two of the series and they are so packed with depth, perception, and a universinality (word?) that makes them reverberate long after the show.