I am saddened to read this. Did Mr. August finish his project of writing a play commemmorating each decade of the past century?
~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Tracey de Morsella \(formerly Tracey L. Minor\)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > -----Original Message----- > From: African-Americans in Higher Education > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of RODNEY COATES > Sent: Friday, August 26, 2005 8:12 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [AFAMHED] fwd: August Wilson,American playwright ill > > > I am so saddened to tell you that great American, descendant of the > slaves > playwright, August Wilson has been diagnosed with liver cancer and is > very > ill, but not bedridden. If you know his work or know the man he laughs > in > the face of truth and finds comfort. I am so glad that I was able to > meet > him, touch and know him through his wonderful family and his stories. > Stories which bind me to myself, my history and to the depth of my own > truth. I am thrilled that Imani will be able to grow up to say that it > was a > Gus Wilson play that made her first thrill to adult theatre and > playwright. > > Gus has chosen to not to seek a curative treatment and in Stage IV . > His > sister Freda is joining him in Seattle this week and to help him > through the > many decisions that he has to make. There is more than you can do than > go > for medical intervention to be treated. I hope that he finds one of > these > to lift him beyond the illness and provide a quality of life that I am > sure > he would appreciate and make use of while he is ill. > > What an American treasure and his writings have been to this country. > I am > so saddened. His favorite critic and niece is a member of this list and > we > want Kim to know that we are here for her. The word cancer has such > power > over a family and a family's love. > > http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/americasbest/pro.awilson.html > His poetic plays about African-American life offer plainspoken truths > that > transcend race > > > > You will find that the media will be reporting it in the news on > tomorrow. > > Please join me in prayers for Gus and his family. He has given us so > much. > His genius and a reminder of "what our ancestors gave . . . the hope > and the > faith of the slave." > > > Tuesday, May 20, 2003 > > A moment with...playwright August Wilson > > By JOE ADCOCK > SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER > > August Wilson is arguably America's greatest living playwright. Time > magazine has said so and I agree. The man is a sort of industry. He > lives in > Seattle, but his works are produced all over the world. He is the > subject of > conferences, lectures, essays and syllabuses. He is even the subject of > an > e-Bay "collectibles" niche. > > Wilson's epics of African American life include two Pulitzer Prize > winners, > "Fences" (1987) and "The Piano Lesson" (1990). Each of Wilson's nine > major > plays chronicles a 20th-century decade as experienced by struggling > Pittsburgh ghetto dwellers. His most recent play, "Gem of the Ocean," > deals > with the 1900s. That leaves one more decade to cover, the 1990s. > > But Wilson, 58, has taken a sudden detour. He has written for himself a > solo > performance piece, "How I Learned What I Learned." It begins > production > Thursday as part of the Seattle Repertory Theatre's annual new plays > series, > running through June 2. > > I talked to Wilson Saturday at the Mecca Cafe, a Lower Queen Anne > coffee > shop that is smoker-friendly (Wilson is an avid smoker). > > Why the sudden shift of focus from writing to performing? Sharon Ott > (the > Rep's artistic director) asked me to do a 45-minute show as part of > their > 40th anniversary celebration. I said no, but I'll do an hour. At > yesterday's > rehearsal, I'd talked for 54 minutes and I hadn't even gotten to the > first > story. The show is made up of eight or nine stories, anecdotes about > things > that happened to me when I was 20, 21, 22 -- stories I've told 100 > times. > But they come out different every time. > > What kind of stories? Like the time I was put in jail for breaking into > my > own apartment. I hadn't paid my rent. I got home and found a padlock on > my > door. I talked to a lawyer I knew. I asked him if I could break the > lock. He > said yes. The landlord has to give 30 days notice. So I broke the lock > and > went to bed and fell asleep. Next thing I knew two cops were standing > over > me, 'Get up buddy, you're coming with us.' There was no charge, though. > I > was acting on advice of counsel. That's a valid out. But in fact the > lawyer > was wrong. He didn't know that this was a furnished apartment. With a > furnished apartment you can't break the lock. > > Previous performing experience? None. Well, no speaking parts. > > Non-speaking? That's another story I can use in the show: my first > kiss. > This was in the seventh grade (of a Pittsburgh Catholic parochial > school). > Sister Mary Eldephonse hated me. I was one of the best readers in the > class. > But she gave me a non-speaking part in the Christmas pageant. 'You'll > play > the cymbals,' she said. You know, 'And, lo, the wise men came unto the > manger and ... ' CRASH! I bang the cymbals together. When I went to get > the > cymbals, Catherine Moran was waiting for me in the cloakroom. There was > this > light around her. I'd never seen anything like it before -- and never > since. > I was astonished. I kissed her. I was really disconcerted. I was so > disconcerted that I missed my cue for the cymbal clash. So I just > banged > them as soon as I came to my senses. Sister Mary Eldephonse accused me > of > deliberately sabotaging her whole pageant. > > A movie version of 'Fences' is in the works, no? I'm writing the > second > draft of the script. It's due by the end of June. I'd have it to the > producer on time if it weren't for this Rep project. But you can't get > blood > from a turnip. > > Thanks very much for your time. I'll let you go now. I know you're > very > busy. Oh, no, I'm glad to talk. Anything to keep out of rehearsal. > Performing is hard work! > > > Bj > > > ||<>|||///\\\///\\\|||<>|||///\\\///\\\|||<>|||||<>|||///\\\/// \\\|||O|||/// > > \\\///\\\|||<>||| > "...She had nothing to fall back on. Not maleness. Not whiteness. Not > ladyhood. Not anything. And out of the profound desolation of her > reality, > she may well have invented herself". > Toni Morrison > > > -- > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.10.15/81 - Release Date: > 8/24/2005 > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.10.14/79 - Release Date: 8/22/2005 > > -- > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.10.14/79 - Release Date: 8/22/2005 ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/LRMolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! 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