7th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition Winners Announced

Jujamcyn Theaters and True Colors Theatre Company (Kenny Leon, Co-Founding Artistic Director) have announced that Moyè Light from Atlanta has won first place at the 7th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition held on Monday, May 4th at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street). Cameron Southerland from Atlanta was the runner-up, and an honorable mention went to Jonathan German from New York City. The event, which was free and open to the public, featured high school students from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, Portland and Seattle performing monologues by the late, legendary American playwright.

Actor Anthony Chisholm received the first ever Wilsonian Soldier Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to the legacy and work of August Wilson.

Judges for the 2015 Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition included Crystal Dickinson (actress), Brandon J. Dirden (actor), David Gallo (scenic designer) and Pauletta Washington (actress). The evening also included a special performance by musician Guy Davis. The evening was sponsored by Delta Air Lines and Time Warner.

The top three contestants from the national competition receive monetary awards. Thanks to a special donation by Delta Air Lines, the original cash prizes were doubled, with the first place winner receiving a $3000 cash prize, the runner-up receiving a $2000 cash prize and the honorable mention receiving a $1000 cash prize. Each of the winners also became eligible for college scholarship opportunities and all finalists recieved the gift of TCG's Century Cycle collection.

Founded in 2007, the Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition aims to expose a new generation of creative minds to the life's work and artistic legacy of this seminal American playwright. Program participants in cities across the country encounter Wilson's ten-play cycle and receive coaching from teaching artists as they prepare their monologues for local, city-wide and national competitions.

This year's competition afforded students from these cities around the country the opportunity to attend the Broadway musical Something Rotten!, have a discussion on August Wilson with Kenny Leon and Condola Rashad, and explore popular Manhattan attractions before making their Broadway stage debuts. The top two contestants from each regional city competed in the National Finals on the August Wilson Stage on Monday evening, May 4th.

The Monologue Competition is also featured in "The Start of Dreams", a documentary directed by The Horne Brothers. Featuring A-list actors like Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Phylicia Rashad, "The Start of Dreams" is packed with Hollywood's elite weighing in on this important art form and what it means to the United States. The documentary has been screened at 9 festivals across the country including the Atlanta Film Festival, the Pan-African Film Festival in Los Angeles, and the UrbanWorld Festival in New York. A trailer for the film is available at the link listed below.

The national August Wilson Monologue Competition is presented by Delta Air Lines with additional funding support from Publix Supermarket Charities, Massey Charitable Trust, Bank of America, The Imlay Foundation, and Macy's.

For more information, visit www.AugustWilsonMonologue.com.