In the 20 years since August Wilson’s death, the need for his voice has only increased. As an artist, his clear, bold theatrical vision recovered the stories of African Americans throughout the 20th century. His 10-play cycle chronicle the lives of ordinary African Americans as they emerged out of the rise of Jim Crow and reach the dawn of the 21st century. He aptly predicted the need to protect black cultural traditions in the midst of a so-called postracial moment. In his famous 1996 speech “The Ground on Which I Stand,” August Wilson proclaimed his support of black art “that feeds the spirit and celebrates the life of black America by designing its strategies for survival and prosperity.” While claiming Greek, British, and American dramatists as influences, Wilson also turns to Black Power figures like Denmark Vesey, Nat Turner and Marcus Garvey. Yet the August Wilson who appears in How I Learned What I Learned stands on the shoulders of lesser known, but no less crucial, people in Pittsburgh’s predominantly black Hill District. They are mothers and teachers, addicts and poets, lovers and friends. He encounters all of them in the various spaces he enters onstage, from his mother’s house to the streets of Pittsburgh to Los Angeles. How I Learned What I Learned is a door into the world that served as the source of Wilson’s works. In Wilson’s various stories, we hear the hopes of musicians and hustlers, the well-worn wisdom and feistiness of old men and old women, and the forging of community across classes, ideologies, and experiences. We see flawed but loving characters wrestling with complex themes as they navigate the gulf between American promise and American practice. This production was conceived out of our collective joy at discovering the memories and lessons Wilson shares along the way, but also the need for his commitment to black self-determination and survival now. How I Learned What I Learned combines Wilson’s personal stories, his life with the people of the Hill District, and his public persona to produce an image of an artist deeply rooted in his community and its cultural traditions yet capable of engaging multiple universal themes and disciplines. This production attempts to capture Wilson’s Hill District by using the same collagist style that Wilson deployed in his work. So, stories about his love of the library are juxtaposed with friends who cannot read, while his stories of first love sit next to stories of love turned violent or toxic. While previous sets have been more abstract, we wanted to ground Wilson’s work in specific influences that helped produce his art. Baseball, so prominent a theme in Fences, gets featured here next to the work of Romare Bearden and Amiri Baraka writings as the foundation of the crucible from which Wilson’s art emerges.

Given Wilson’s belief in funding distinctly black theatres, it feels right that this show takes place at The Lyric Theater where celebrating black life and black culture are the foundation of its work and programming. At a time when businesses and universities are withdrawing from inclusion generally and the importance of distinctly black lives and experiences specifically, having a space committed to their stories and their community is more important than ever. We are proud to stand on August Wilson’s shoulders as we begin the fight anew to tell the stories of African Americans and recover the stories of those who have been marginalized or forgotten. Wilson reminds us not to settle for the stories of others, but to tell our own stories of survival and prosperity. We deserve more.

Terrance Tucker, Director

Jeremy Gillett

Director
Terrence Tucker

Executive Producer
Jeremy Gillett

Stage Manager
Marilyn Hosey

Technical Director/Set Designer
Zak Stribling

Lighting Designer
Mylissa Crutcher

Sound Designer
Tommy Gatton

Projections Designer
Brina Jolin

Costume Designer/Props Coordinator
Ivory Besse

Thanks to Whit Whitaker for his performance of "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen"

Thanks to Aosna McMullen, EMON Event Co., for management of this weekend's events.