The annual August Wilson Monologue Competition gives high school students the opportunity to breath life into the famous Pittsburgh playwright’s legacy. Point Park University, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowment sponsored the competition.
Pittsburgh’s competition, headed by the Bill Nunn Theater Outreach Project, celebrated its 8th year of participation on Mar. 14 at 7 p.m., at the August Wilson Center for African-American Culture. The winners of the competition received cash prizes, scholarships and a trip to the national competition in New York City.
“He is the reason I went to school and without him touching a part of my life, I don’t know where I’d be right now,” head acting coach for the Pittsburgh competition, Meleana Felton said. “The competition has brought me a family…August Wilson, to me, is home.”
August Wilson was an African-American, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright from Pittsburgh. Wilson primarily wrote about the African-American experience during the 20th century. His works includes a series of ten plays often called “The Pittsburgh Cycle” or “Century Cycle.” Each work takes place in a different decade throughout the 1900s, all set in Pittsburgh, except for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
High school students from the Pittsburgh area were invited to work with facilitators in their schools or come to weekly Saturday workshops held at Point Park University. The students selected their monologues from a compendium of Wilson’s works approved by the competition’s auditors.
Next, the students memorized the monologues and practiced for Pittsburgh’s regional competition. Four judges, often seasoned actors or local personalities, score students’ performances. At the end of the night, winners are announced and rewarded with cash prizes and a pass to the national competition in New York City.
Students performed a variety of Wilson’s characters throughout the night, from the hard-headed king in “King Hedley II,” to the strong, compassionate Rose in “Fences.” The night was nothing short of emotional, as the gravity of Wilson’s words were laid on the audience by young people from all different backgrounds.
The competition is fierce, but it is more about carrying Wilson’s words through generations. Winning is just a bonus for many of the students.
“Participating in the competition every year was just as rewarding when I didn’t win,” Pittsburgh’s 2015 second place winner, Alona Williams, said. “The fulfillment is in knowing you did his words justice and gave the audience an experience.”
Bill Nunn Theater Outreach Project was founded by veteran actor Bill Nunn, popularly known by his role as “Radio Raheem” in Spike Lee’s, “Do the Right Thing.” Nunn has performed in several of Wilson’s plays and is committed to getting students to feel his words. Nunn hopes Wilson’s work will live on for many generations.
“It brings us such joy to witness our young people celebrate the legacy of August through this competition,” managing director of the Bill Nunn Theater Outreach Project, Demeatria Boccella, said.
Students from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Greensboro, Los Angeles, New York, Portland and Seattle also participate in regional competitions in hopes of competing at the national level.
Students can keep up with information on the Pittsburgh competition through The Bill Nunn Theater Outreach Facebook page.
