August Wilson Monologue Competition Winner Announced

On Monday, May 9, young artists from across the country competed in the finals of the August Wilson Monologue Competition on stage at the August Wilson Theatre in New York City. Three finalists chosen from Chicago's final round held last April competed with their counterparts from other regional competitions in the national finals.

Johari Mackey of Thornwood High School (South Holland, IL), who placed 1st in Chicago, took First Place in the national finals. Laura Benson and Tristian Coleman, who placed 2nd and 3rd respectively in Chicago, both of Gallery 37's Honors Theatre Arts class (Chicago, IL) also competed in New York.

"We are very proud of all three students who represented Chicago at the national competition," said Derrick Sanders, who, with Goodman Theatre, the Department of Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and the League of Chicago Theatres coordinated the competition in Chicago. "We couldn't be more proud of Johari, or to have the national champion represent our city."

To compete in the August Wilson Monologue Competition, high school students performed a short monologue from one of the ten plays in August Wilson's Century Cycle. Regional competitions took place earlier this year in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, and New York.

About the Competition
Open to Chicago area high school sophomores, juniors and seniors, the August Wilson Monologue Competition focuses on exposing students to the richness of August Wilson's Century Cycle, and incorporating the plays into the standard high school curriculum.

Chicago's participation in this national event is coordinated by Derrick Sanders, who hopes to continue building robust partnerships with schools across Chicago, encouraging the adoption of August Wilson's work into the standard curriculum. These partnerships create educational opportunities that allow students to connect to August Wilson and his work through the study of history, social studies and literature.

 

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