BOP Theatre

It is a unique cultural contribution unmatched by any other playwright of the 20th or 21st century and, to my mind, of momentous historic importance.

Me?

It was while attending a workshop in Chicago at Steppenwolf in 2000 that I took pot luck with a show at the Goodman theatre. It was August Wilson’s ‘King Hedley II’.

To my shame, I had never heard of August Wilson until that evening, but I was so impressed by the show that I looked out for his work whenever performed thereafter; and have had the immense privilege of seeing most of his cycle of ten plays which describe the experience of African Americans across ten decades:

Gem of the Ocean (set in the 1900s) at the Tricycle theatre, London 2006
Joe Turner's Come and Gone (set in the 1910s) at the Young Vic theatre, London 2010
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (set in the 1920s) at the Royale theatre, New York 2003, and at the National theatre, London (3 times!) 2016
The Piano Lesson (set in the 1930s) not yet seen
Seven Guitars (set in the 1940s) not yet seen
Fences (set in the 1950s) at the Duchess theatre, London 2013 and movie 2017
Two Trains Running (set in the 1960s) not yet seen
Jitney (set in the 1970s) at the National theatre, London 2001
King Hedley II (set in the 1980s) at the Goodman theatre, Chicago 2000, and at Stratford East, London 2018
Radio Golf (set in the 1990s) at the Tricycle theatre, London 2008

August Wilson's Plays

I found each play I saw to be on a par with Eugene O’Neil (my summit of praise!) but with the added quality of the entire cycle being more than the sum of its parts. It is a unique cultural contribution unmatched by any other playwright of the 20th or 21st century and, to my mind, of momentous historic importance.

To my astonishment, my ignorance of August Wilson in 2000 is matched today in the UK by that of virtually everybody I know outside the theatre community despite the fact he has had two Pulitzers and a theatre on Broadway named in his honour. My personal ambition was one day (when I had the funds!) to produce the entire cycle (a bit like Wagner’s ring cycle) so that the world could properly appreciate the immensity of August Wilson’s achievement.

The Black Lives Matter movement has made me re-think my personal ambition and realise now is the time for a social and cultural mission on a much larger scale, which recognises and promotes an extraordinary black playwright, employs black actors on a permanent basis and contributes an enduring theatrical contribution to Black Lives Matter (BLM) by acknowledging the genius of black theatre.

Find out more about the Bard of Pittsburgh African legacy Theatre initiative below:

Tambar Theatre - Joan Rivers

Edinburgh Fringe Festival plays

When Joan Rivers responded enthusiastically that she was happy to head up the Tambar’s band of Crazy Ladies at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, everyone threw themselves into trying to find a theatre that wasn’t already booked.

In the end, the Festival Theatre pushed and pulled its schedule of opera and ballet to make space for Joan, and “Broke and Alone” was the first time in the history of the Edinburgh Festival that a fringe show played at an official Festival theatre.