August Wilson African American Cultural Center Launches New Year-Long Series BEYOND THE RED DOOR

This Fall, the August Wilson African American Cultural Center has introduced a new, experiential event series: Beyond the Red Door. The inaugural, year-long initiative draws from the process, practice, and themes of plays by the Center's namesake, August Wilson, and is conceived and curated by AWAACC Theatre Curator, Stephanie Rolland.

Hailing from Pittsburgh's Hill District, Wilson created one of the richest collections of plays in American history that gives life to a century of the Black experience through theater. From immersive theatrical events to workshops, musical performances, and food tastings, Beyond the Red Door will bring together local and national creators through exciting, new portals into Wilson's work and process, building on AWAACC's permanent exhibit-August Wilson: The Writer's Landscape-and expanding the Center's programming as one of the largest cultural organizations championing artists that celebrate Black culture and the African diaspora.

The title of the series refers to 1839 Wylie Avenue and the home of Aunt Ester-a recurring character in Wilson's plays who welcomes friends, family, strangers, and neighbors through a red door into her home to find refuge, a bed, and a hot meal. Aunt Ester's home in the fictionalized Hill District is a place of spiritual healing for Black Americans where the 322-year-old mythic character embodies and represents the experiences and struggles they have faced across the history of the United States. By focusing on symbolic and specific details like Aunt Ester's home, Beyond the Red Door aims to elaborate on intricate elements of Wilson's plays, inviting visitors to engage deeply with the creative process of and context behind the American Century Cycle.

"Through the Beyond the Red Door series, we aim to foster a dynamic exchange of the ideas, experiences, and universal issues of identity that Wilson tackled through his works and engage the community with the concepts that still resonate today," said AWAACC President and CEO Janis Burley Wilson. "AWAACC is a creative force that brings together visual, performing, and experiential arts to present programming that reflects the diversity of Pittsburgh and the nation and upholds the legacy of August Wilson."

"The Beyond the Red Door series enables visitors to have a visceral and engaging experience with August Wilson's incomparable masterpiece, the American Century Cycle," said Rolland. "The different events that will take place over the coming year are designed to innovatively explore Wilson's worldview, based in Pittsburgh but relevant nationally, and draw the parallels to his 20th-century setting and its implications on the present and future."

AWAACC's Beyond the Red Door events are designed to enhance the experience of Wilson's plays. They center around often overlooked pieces of information throughout his works that bring light to the Black experience of the past and present. AWAACC held the first event of the series: Step Into The American Century Cycle in September. The immersive experience was built around significant locations from Wilson's plays and visitors were invited to interact directly with the sets and actors. The event provided a visceral opportunity to engage young audiences while stepping into the past by way of games and food. Looking ahead, the Beyond the Red Door series will feature creative events that explore August Wilson's methodology and process, the pillars of the Black Power movement, and Black American cuisines through arts workshops, culinary experiences, and a performance of the one-man-show, How I Learned What I Learned, by Pittsburgh's Wali Jamal, the only actor in the world to perform all 11 of Wilson's plays.

Throughout the event series, August Wilson: The Writer's Landscape-AWAACC's permanent multi-sensory exhibition featuring artifacts from Wilson's Estate, and recreations of ephemera from the 1900s to early 2000s that provide historical context for his writings, augmented by audio recordings of Wilson's acclaimed work-will remain on display. The Writer's Landscape gives an additional voice to the people, places, and language that shaped the worldview of August Wilson. The interactive exhibition offers audiences the opportunity to engage with August Wilson's work through the lens of the community he knew best, illuminating his impact and enduring relevance. 

The Beyond the Red Door series includes the following events:

September 24, 2022: "Step Into The American Century Cycle" (additional details below)
November 9, 2022: "Create and Sip" (additional details below)
March 2023: "How I Learned What I Learned" featuring Pittsburgh actor Wali Jamal (additional details below)
April 2023: "Taste of the Century" (additional details below)
September 2023: "Step Into the American Century Cycle" returns with never-before-seen locations
November 2023: "Create and Sip" returns to explore new art forms that inspired August Wilson
BEYOND THE RED DOOR CALENDAR

"Step Into The American Century Cycle"

September 24, 2022 | 12 to 4pm; 7 to 11pm EST

Returning September 2023

"Step Into The American Century Cycle" invites audiences to experience theatrical representations of venues influential in the lives of August Wilson's characters. Participants join AWAACC for vintage games, live music, food, and raffle prizes set in the first half of the 20th century. This event features activities for all ages from noon to 4:00pm and will be 21+ from 7:00pm to 11:00pm featuring signature cocktails. "Step Into The American Century Cycle" is a free event but registration is recommended.

"Create and Sip"

November 9, 2022 | 5:30pm EST

Returning November 2023

"Create and Sip," the second event of the Beyond the Red Door theatrical event series, will feature an evening of arts workshops rooted in August Wilson's creative process. Grab a glass of wine, beer, or soda and dive into an evening of arts workshops rooted in August Wilson's creative process. Learn from professional artists from multiple disciplines in a casual atmosphere with drinks and snacks. Bar and food open at 5:30pm with workshops beginning at 6pm. This is a ticketed event ($15 plus fees). Art supplies will be provided along with a cash bar and free food. Ideal for ages 21+.

"How I Learned What I Learned"

March 2023

Beloved Pittsburgh actor, Wali Jamal, returns in early 2023 with his critically acclaimed performance of August Wilson's one-man-show, How I Learned What I Learned. Jamal, the only actor in the world to have appeared in all 11 of August Wilson's plays, reprises this highly anticipated role after a pandemic-induced hiatus. This one-night-only performance will take place during the August Wilson Society's annual three-day colloquium, hosted by AWAACC. Tickets for the event will be available at awaacc.org.

"Taste of the Century"

April 2023

Audiences are invited into a unique, foodie experience rooted in August Wilson's American Century Cycle. The transformed AWAACC café will host a demonstration kitchen event featuring a chef's take on one of the recipes highlighted in August Wilson's American Century Cycle. Recipes are stories; they are a passing on of culture, love, and memories. August Wilson knew this very well and featured many historically Black recipes and Black-owned establishments throughout his plays. Participants are invited into the café to enjoy a taste of history and share in a collective story.

ABOUT August Wilson AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER

The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a non-profit cultural organization located in Pittsburgh's cultural district that generates artistic, educational, and community initiatives that advance the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. One of the largest cultural centers in the country focused exclusively on the African American experience and the celebration of Black culture and the African diaspora, the non-profit organization welcomes more than 119,000 visitors locally and nationally. Through year-round programming across multiple genres, such as the annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, Black Bottom Film Festival, AWCommunity Days, TRUTHSayers speaker series, and rotating art exhibits in its galleries, the Center provides a platform for established and emerging artists of color whose work reflects the universal issues of identity that Wilson tackled, and which still resonate today.