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Timeline
childhood home
April 27, 1945
Frederick August Kittel is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the city neighborhood known as “The Hill.” The Hill is Pittsburgh’s Harlem, a hub of creativity and commerce and, in 1945, still racially mixed. His mother, Daisy Wilson, is African-American while his father, a German immigrant named Frederick Kittel, is white. He is one of seven children who will eventually be born to the couple, though Frederick would be absent for most of his children’s lives.
Credit: August Wilson Estate
1959
A student at the predominantly white private Central Catholic High School, young Frederick is the victim of constant race-based bullying and abuse. He leaves Central Catholic for Connelly Trade School, where he feels unchallenged. He later transfers to Gladstone High School in the neighborhood of Hazelwood.
August Wilson discusses how he educated himself at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
1960
Now a tenth-grader, Wilson is assigned an essay on a historical figure. After being accused of plagiarizing his paper on Napoleon Bonaparte, the 15-year-old drops out of Gladstone High. He becomes a voracious reader and educates himself by spending his days at the nearby Carnegie Library.
1962
Wilson enlists in the U.S. Army but leaves after a year.
Stanford University Vice Provost and Professor Harry J. Elam discusses the significance of the blues in August Wilson’s work
Stanford University Vice Provost and Professor Harry J. Elam discusses the significance of the blues in August Wilson’s work
1963-1964
Wilson works a variety of jobs and begins writing poetry. He purchases his first typewriter and discovers Bessie Smith and the blues.
August Wilson’s mother, Daisy WilsonCredit: August Wilson Estate
1965
To honor his mother, Frederick August Kittel changes his name to August Wilson. His biological father dies.
Childhood friend Sala Udin discusses August Wilson’s involvement in the Black Arts movement
1968
Embracing a heightened black consciousness, Wilson co-founds the Black Horizons Theater with colleagues Rob Penny, Sala Udin, Maisha Baton, Claude Purdy and others.
1969
Wilson marries Brenda Burton. His stepfather, David Bedford, passes away.
1970
Wilson’s daughter, Sakina Ansari Wilson, is born.
1976
Kuntu Repertory Theater produces Wilson’s first play, The Homecoming, directed by Dr. Vernell Lillie.
Credit: Penumbra Theatre Company
1977
Wilson writes a western musical play, Black Bart and the Sacred Hills.
1978
Wilson leaves Pittsburgh for St. Paul, Minnesota, with the help of his friend Claude Purdy. He is hired as a writer for the St. Paul Science Museum.
1980
The respected Minneapolis Playwrights Center grants Wilson a fellowship.
1981
August Wilson marries Judy Oliver.
Credit: Penumbra Theatre Company
1982
Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Repertory Theater stages Jitney.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Credit: Pittsburgh Public Theater
1982 - Ma Rainey
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, a play about the legendary blues singer, is accepted by the National Playwrights Conference at the O’Neill Theater Center in Connecticut.
and August Wilson
1982 - Meets Lloyd Richards
August Wilson meets Lloyd Richards, an African-American director who serves as the Dean of the Yale University School of Drama and the artistic director of the Yale Repertory Theatre. The two men forge a friendship that results in Richards directing Wilson’s first six Broadway plays.
August Wilson discusses his mother’s influence and his women characters
1983
Wilson’s mother, Daisy Wilson, dies.
Stanford University Vice Provost and Professor Harry J. Elam discusses Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the musicality of August Wilson’s plays
Stanford University Vice Provost and Professor Harry J. Elam discusses Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the musicality of August Wilson’s plays
1984
Ma Rainey premieres at the Yale Repertory Theatre to critical acclaim, quickly moving to Broadway. The play wins Wilson his first New York Drama Critics Circle award.
Theater director and playwright Marion McClinton discusses the critical reception of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the impetus for Fences
Theater director and playwright Marion McClinton discusses the critical reception of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the impetus for Fences
1985
Fences, the story of a frustrated former Negro League baseball player, premieres at Yale Repertory.
1986
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone premieres at the Yale Rep.
Stanford University Vice Provost and Professor Harry J. Elam discusses Fences
1987
Fences opens on Broadway. Wilson wins his second New York Drama Critics Circle Award and his first Pulitzer Prize. The play goes on to gross $11 million during its inaugural Broadway season.
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Credit: Penumbra Theatre Company
1988
Joe Turner wins the New York Drama Critics Circle Award after opening on Broadway. Wilson returns to Pittsburgh to lecture at the Carnegie Institute and appears on Bill Moyers’ “World of Ideas.”
The Piano Lesson
Credit: Pittsburgh Public Theater
1989 - Yale Rep
Yale Rep premieres The Piano Lesson.
1989
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh awards Wilson its first ever high school diploma.
of the Year
Pittsburgh Magazine cover
Credit: Pittsburgh Magazine
1990
Wilson is named 1990 Pittsburgher of the Year by Pittsburgh Magazine.
1990 - The Piano Lesson
The Piano Lesson opens on Broadway and wins Wilson his fourth New York Drama Critics Circle Award and his second Pulitzer Prize. Two Trains Running premieres.
1990 - Second Marriage Ends
Wilson’s second marriage ends and he moves to Seattle, Washington.
Two Trains Running
Credit: Penumbra Theatre Company
1992
Two Trains Running opens on Broadway and wins the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for best American play.
1994
Hallmark Hall of Fame produces a teleplay of The Piano Lesson starring Charles Dutton, Alfre Woodard, and Courtney Vance; it is filmed in Pittsburgh.
1994 - Wilson marries costume designer Constanza Romero.
Wilson marries costume designer Constanza Romero.
1995
The Piano Lesson is broadcast on national television. Seven Guitars premieres.
Seven Guitars
Credit: Penumbra Theatre Company
1996
Seven Guitars reaches Broadway and Wilson is awarded his sixth NYDCC Award.
1996
Wilson writes “The Ground on Which I Stand,” his controversial essay on the need for black artists to maintain control over their cultural identity, and to establish permanent cultural institutions that celebrate the unique achievements of black theater.
Stanford University Vice Provost and Professor Harry J. Elam discusses non-traditional casting vs. colorblind casting
Stanford University Vice Provost and Professor Harry J. Elam discusses non-traditional casting vs. colorblind casting
1997
Wilson participates in a contentious and widely publicized debate with theater critic Robert Brustein on the funding of black theatre, color-blind casting and other topics.
1997
Wilson's daughter Azula Carmen Wilson is born to August and Constanza.
1998
Wilson teaches playwriting at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
2000
Jitney is produced in New York. It is Wilson’s first play to be staged in an off-Broadway theatre. He is awarded his seventh NYDCC Award.
King Hedley II
Credit: Penumbra Theatre Company
2001
King Hedley II opens on Broadway.
Playbill forGem of the OceanCredit: Penumbra Theatre Company
2002
Gem of the Ocean premieres in Chicago. London’s Olivier Award names Jitney the year’s best play.
2003
Whoopi Goldberg appears on Broadway in a revival of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Stanford University Vice Provost and Professor Harry J. Elam discusses the first and last plays in Wilson’s Century Cycle as “bookends” to the Cycle.
Stanford University Vice Provost and Professor Harry J. Elam discusses the first and last plays in Wilson’s Century Cycle as “bookends” to the Cycle.
2004
Gem of the Ocean opens on Broadway.
2005
Radio Golf, Wilson’s last play in the Century Cycle, premieres at the Yale Repertory Theatre.
2005
In June, August Wilson is diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and dies Sunday, October 2, in a Seattle hospital. His funeral service is held at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, not far from his mother Daisy.
2005
On October 16, the Virginia Theatre on Broadway is renamed the “August Wilson Theatre,” in his honor.