August Wilson High School Competition Finalists Announced

The August Wilson Monologue Competition announces the finalists for the 2021 August Wilson Monologue Competition and the new "Designing August" competition. The Chicago finals will be held virtually on March 22, 2021 at 6pm. Each year, hundreds of high schoolers compete for a chance to represent Chicago in the national competition, which will also be held virtually this year.

After two preliminary rounds, the twenty finalists in the monologue competition include, from Chicago High School for the Performing Arts: Johnathan Westbrook, Jadah Clay, Enama Samuels, Siah Berlatsky; from Harper High School: David Brown, Nakila Evans; from Southland College Prep: Nyah Ware, Bri'Yon Watts, Thomas Kelly, Soley Haggard; from Gallery 37: Patriana Scales, Layla Freeman; from Senn High School: Serenity Givens Sheets, Ramiyah Lee, Marshea Shane and Avery Luciano; and from Kenwood High School: Donald Pieters.

The "Designing August" finalists are, from Northtown Academy: Dominic Cosentino and Dominique Harrison; and from Perspectives Leadership Academy: Ania Green, Sincere Love, Courtney Bilbro, Daniel Jones, Kennedy Hardy and Noah Gilliams.

In December 2020, Netflix released Giving Voice, a full-length documentary about the national August Wilson Monologue Competition and the importance and influence of Wilson's work on the students. The inspirational film focusses on of the 2019 Chicago Monologue Competition and Derrick Sanders, along with interviews of Viola Davis, Denzel Washington, and Stephen Henderson. The film's trailer is available here.

The judges for the monologue finals are: John Jelks, Sydney Chatman, Morocco Omari, and Danyelle Monson. The judges for the design competition finals are: Collette Pollard, Christine Pascual, and Sydney Lynne Thomas.

The August Wilson Monologue Competition is presented by Goodman Theatre and Derrick Sanders, in collaboration with the Department of Performing Arts at The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), the League of Chicago Theatres, and True Colors Theatre Company.

Open to Chicago area high school students, the competition gives students an opportunity to explore and share the richness of August Wilson's Century Cycle and incorporates the plays into the standard high school curriculum. Program participants in cities across the country encounter Wilson's ten-play cycle and receive coaching from teaching artists to prepare their monologues for local and national competition. Chicago coordinator Derrick Sanders hopes to continue building robust partnerships with schools across Chicago, creating educational opportunities that allow students to connect to August Wilson and his work through the study of history, social studies and literature.

Cash prizes for the top three Chicago Monologue finalists have been doubled in 2021 since the priceless experience of a trip to New York City to compete has been suspended during the pandemic.

Regional competitions take place in sixteen cities nationwide, including Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Greensboro, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New Haven, New York, Norfolk, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, and Seattle. Details about the 2021 National Competition are yet to be announced.

Chicago's August Wilson Monologue Competition is sponsored by Allstate Insurance Company.

For more information about the Chicago competition, visit: https://chicagoplays.com/august-wilson-monologue-competition/.