Photo Flash: First Look at August Wilson's HOW I LEARNED WHAT I LEARNED at Huntington

By: Mar. 08, 2016
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The Huntington Theatre Company presents the powerful memoir August Wilson's HOW I LEARNED WHAT I LEARNED, co-conceived and directed by Todd Kreidler (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner adapter at the Huntington) and featuring Eugene Lee (Radio Golf, Gem of the Ocean, and The Piano Lesson at the Huntington), both longtime Wilson collaborators. Performances continue now through April 3, 2016 in the BU Theatre / Avenue of the Arts. BroadwayWorld has a first look at Lee onstage below!

In this solo show, the late Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson shares stories about his first few jobs, a stint in jail, his lifelong friends, and his encounters with racism, music, and love as a young poet in Pittsburgh's Hill District. This theatrical memoir charts one man's journey of self-discovery through adversity, and what it means to be a black artist in America.

The Huntington had a special relationship with August Wilson and his work, beginning in 1986 with a production of Joe Turner's Come and Gone, his third play in the Century Cycle. For 25 years, the Huntington served as an artistic home to Wilson, developing and premiering eight of the ten plays of his Century Cycle before they went on to Broadway. The Huntington completed Wilson's Century Cycle in 2012 with Wilson's first Broadway hit, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

The impact of Wilson's works has made a lasting mark on American theatre, and it has opened doors to conversations about the black experience in the United States. August Wilson's HOW I LEARNED WHAT I LEARNED is an all-encompassing look at the man behind the revered Century Cycle. It is Wilson's last theatrical work created with long-time collaborator and friend, Todd Kreidler.

Photo Credit: T. Charles Erickson and Josh Lamkin Photography



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