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Timeline

August Wilson’s
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.

Young August Wilson
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

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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

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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.

Penumbra Theatre Company’s promotional still for Black Bart and the Sacred Hills.
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.

Playbill for Jitney
Credit: Penumbra Theatre Company

1982

Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Repertory Theater stages Jitney.

Playbill for
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.

Lloyd Richards
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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Playbill for
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.”

1989

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh awards Wilson its first ever high school diploma.

Playbill for
The Piano Lesson
Credit: Pittsburgh Public Theater

1989 - Yale Rep

Yale Rep premieres The Piano Lesson.

 

 

1990 Pittsburgher
of the Year
Pittsburgh Magazine cover
Credit: Pittsburgh Magazine

1990

Wilson is named 1990 Pittsburgher of the Year by Pittsburgh Magazine.

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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.

Playbill for
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.

Playbill for
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

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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.

Playbill for
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.

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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.

 

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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.