A tribute to greatness

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The Kennedy Center’s August Wilson’s 20th Century festival is a celebration of the playwright’s 10-play cycle. The plays are presented as staged readings with costumes, lighting and scenery and will be directed by seven well-known American directors. The festival is under the guidance of Kenny Leon, artistic director of Atlanta’s The Alliance Theatre Company until 2001, and Wilson’s longtime friend.

Wilson’s plays span 100 years, telling the story of the African-American experience from 1904 to 1997. Each play depicts a different decade.

“I worked with August on his last two plays on Broadway,” said Leon in a recent interview, “ ‘Gem of the Ocean,’ set in 1904, which tells the story of the aftermath of slavery, and ‘Radio Golf,’ set in 1997. They happened to be the last plays Wilson wrote.”

Leon’s love and admiration for Wilson is clear.

“I think he’s not just the greatest playwright of our generation, but the greatest who ever lived,” Leon said. “I think we’ll look back 25 years from now and appreciate the fact that we lived during his lifetime. Our existence would be totally different if we didn’t have his characters in our lives.”

With the exception of one — “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” — all the plays take place in Wilson’s hometown, Pittsburgh. Growing up poor, Wilson knew he wanted to be a writer at an early age. Now, his plays have won Pulitzer Prizes and Tony Awards and are produced around the world.

“Wilson wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with the greatest writers — Shakespeare and Chekhov among them” Leon said. “And the American theater scene would be totally different without him because he let people like Samuel L. Jackson and Laurence Fishburne cut their teeth on his work.”

Although Wilson’s plays are specifically written about the African-American community, they speak to a broader audience.

“Wilson’s plays are universally appealing,” said Leon. “For instance, ‘Fences,’ in which he writes about trying to provide a better world for your son. He writes about the human condition.”

August Wilson’s 20th Century

Through April 6

» Venue: Kennedy Center

» Performances: “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” “Radio Golf”

» More info: 202-467-4600, www.kennedy-center.org