True Colors Theatre Company and Jujamcyn Theaters Announce 10th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition

True Colors Theatre Company (Kenny Leon, Co-Founding Artistic Director) and Jujamcyn Theaters (Jordan Roth, President; Jack Viertel, Senior Vice President) are proud to announce the 10th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition will take place on Monday, May 7th at 7:00 p.m. at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street).

The event, which is free and open to the public, features high school students from Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Buffalo, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Los Angeles, California; New Haven, Connecticut; New York, New York; Greensboro, North Carolina; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington performing monologues by the late, legendary American playwright. There will be a special performance by American Blues musician and actor Guy Davis.

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, citywide and national competitions.

A panel of celebrity judges will evaluate the competitors and select a winner. Among those who have previously lent their support as performers, judges and guests are Phylicia Rashad, Russell Hornsby, Scott Rudin, Guy Davis, Lynn Nottage, Lynda Gravatt, Keith Randolph Smith, Tamara Tunie, Katori Hall, Maurice Hines, Crystal Dickinson, Chris Chalk, LaTanya Richardson, Heather Alicia Simms, and Mykelti Williamson, among others. The 2018 celebrity judges will be announced at a later date.

In the past, students have had the opportunity to spend time with other prominent Broadway performers over the course of the weekend, including Denzel Washington and Daniel Radcliffe. This year's competition will afford students from these cities around the country the opportunity to attend two Broadway shows, Once on This Island, featuring competition alum Hayley Kilgore, and Children of a Lesser God, work closely with one of Wilson's closest collaborators: director Kenny Leon, and explore popular Manhattan attractions before making their Broadway stage debuts. Regional finalists will compete on the August Wilson Stage on Monday evening, May 7th.

The top three contestants from the national competition receive monetary awards. The first place winner will receive a $1500 cash prize, the runner-up a $1000 cash prize and the honorable mention a $500 cash prize. Each of the winners will also become eligible for college scholarship opportunities and all finalists receive the gift of TCG's Century Cycle collection.

The Monologue Competition is 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 and Aetna.

True Colors Theatre Company is based in Atlanta, GA and lead by Artistic Director Kenny Leon, and Managing Director Chandra Stephens-Albright. True Colors' mission is grounded and centered in the rich canon of African American classics with a strong commitment to diverse new voices. True Colors strives to be an important voice in the American discussion of diversity including plays and playwrights from various times, cultures and perspectives. True Colors' next show is Dot by Colman Domingo opening in Atlanta in July 2018.

Jujamcyn Theaters (Jordan Roth, President) is recognized as a theatrical innovator for championing shows that push the boundaries of Broadway and for creating uniquely welcoming experiences for audiences and artists. Jujamcyn's five Broadway theatres are the St. James, Al Hirschfeld, August Wilson, Eugene O'Neill, and Walter Kerr where current productions include the Tony Award-winning Best Musicals The Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots as well as Springsteen on Broadway, Frozen and Mean Girls. Jujamcyn's proud legacy includes Jersey Boys, The Producers, Spring Awakening, Hair, Fela!, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, six plays by August Wilson, and the original Broadway production and revival of Angels in America.