The August Wilson Center has announced that they will be preparing for it’s new season that will have a lineup of artists focused on the Arts from it’s three companies: the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble, the recently formed August Wilson Theatre Ensemble and the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra. The purpose is to create an opportunity and venue for the next great local artist to showcase their artistic talent-while remaining local.
Over the years, Pittsburgh has produced a wealth of artistic talent ranging from Romare Bearden to August Wilson who took their talents and left Pittsburgh and became nationally and internationally famous. Which is why Kimo Stone Guess the president and CEO of the August Wilson Center wants to create a “local Ecology of the arts”.
A good example is Tyler Perry who, although born in Louisiana, discovered his gift of what would become a career of writing after moving to Atlanta in 1990. Perry persevered, worked hard and has now become a famous Actor, author, screenwriter, film director, theater producer, theater director, television director, playwright, film producer, television producer-while keeping his home and his base of operations in Atlanta.
Here is the lineup announced by the August Wilson Center for their 2011-12 season:
From Process to Print: Graphic Works by Romare Bearden”
(July 15-Sept. 12) and “Romare Bearden: The Last Years, Photography by Frank Stewart” (July 15-October), “From Process to Print” displays more than 75 lithographs, etchings, screen prints and related works created over 30 years that reveal Bearden’s explorations that went beyond his better-known collages and photomontages. It’s paired with 46 images Stewart took over 13 years that captured Bearden at work and while relaxing.
- NEA Jazz Master: Benny Golson (April 21) will debut a new composition with the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra. Sean Jones, the center’s artistic director for music initiatives, also plans a series of duet performances that will pair local artists such as Benny Benack and Joe Negri performing new compositions.
- “August in August” (Aug. 18-20), a collaboration between the August Wilson Theatre Ensemble and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, provides an evening of scenes from August Wilson’s plays performed by members of the Ensemble and winners of the center’s recent August Wilson Monologue Contest.
- “Dynamic Women of Dance” (March 9 and 10) will feature the August Wilson Dance Ensemble performing works created by guest choreographers, who include Sidra Bell and Keisha Lalama White.
- “The Hill” is an online literary magazine that will begin later this summer to highlight regional and national literary talent through essays, blogs, nonfiction, video and criticism. It’s producer, Damon Young states that it will be similar to The New Yorker but with a focus on African-Americans.
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