Luminaries celebrating the long-anticipated grand opening of the August Wilson House on Saturday, Aug. 13, will include Denzel Washington, during a day of events that begins with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Two-time Oscar-winner Washington will join Constanza Romero Wilson, widow of the great playwright and Pittsburgh native, at the 1 p.m. ceremony. August Wilson’s childhood home at 1727 Bedford Ave. in the Hill District was designated a historic landmark by the state in 2007, and the National Park Service listed it on the National Register in 2013. The transformation of the once decaying structure into a community hub, a place true to the legacy of the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, has been led by the Daisy Wilson Artist Community, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to the revitalization of the site and its surrounding Hill District neighborhood.
On Aug. 13, the big reveal will show a site for programming, gathering spaces and small artist studios, as well as fellowships for local and national artists and scholars, among other events.
Washington was key to the fundraising for the revitalization efforts and attended the groundbreaking in September of 2018, after directing and starring in the Pittsburgh-filmed Fences the previous year.
“August Wilson is one of the greatest playwrights in American history, in world history,” Washington said in a statement. “It is a privilege and honor, responsibility and duty, and a joy to be a small part in keeping him alive. I will do everything I can to keep this structure alive and sound and a place for us all to grow.”
The opening comes a day after Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company begins a run of Wilson’s Jitney (Aug. 12-Sept. 18) in the backyard of the property.
The timeline of the day’s grand-opening celebration includes:
● 1 p.m. – Opening for VIP ticket-holders and credentialed media. ($500 VIP tickets available at AugustWilsonHouseGrandOpening.eventbrite.com.)
● 1:30 p.m. – Welcome and remarks by Washington, Romero Wilson and August Wilson House leadership.
● August Wilson Monologue Competition participants presentation.
● Ribbon-cutting ceremony.
● 3 p.m. – Media and VIP house tours.
● 5-8 p.m. – VIP gala, with red-carpet arrivals; opening remarks by Romero Wilson, Wilsonian actors Russell Hornsby, Stephen McKinley Henderson and others; and August Wilson House leaders. Plus drinks and food, performances and house tours.
● 8-11 p.m. – Community house party with dancing and music by UNION, featuring Big Phil, Selecta and Blakk Steel. (Tickets are $100 at
AugustWilsonHouseGrandOpening.eventbrite.com.)
Categories: Arts and Ideas
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