“…it ain’t nothing to find no starting place in the world. You just start from where you find yourself…”
– from Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
August Wilson, American playwright (27 April 1945 – 2 October 2005) who passed away at sixty years old. I’m writing this at fifty-four, realizing when Wilson passed at sixty. Which is “down the road aways, around the bend a little” but not too far from my life. Wilson is a major muse in my life and art. One of my first encounters with his work was in the first Broadway production of Fences. I saw it in 1987, the original Broadway cast with James Earl Jones, Mary Alice, and Courtney B. Vance (just to name a few of this amazing ensemble). I was attending Ramapo College of New Jersey at the time. One of the professors in the School of Contemporary Arts had a “Bus Trip to Broadway”. Looking back I don’t think I had to pay for the ticket which is amazing because the experience was priceless.
We were seated in the rear mezzanine of the 46th Street Theater. James Earl Jones’ voice bellowed as if he was right next to me. The scene where Cory, the son, asked “why it seems like you don’t like me…” and Troy Maxson’s response will forever be in my ear and soul. It was one of those black father/son moments that I knew so well, although I’ve never personally experienced it. I felt as if Troy Maxson was talking directly to me, it was as if this was my story. James Earl Jones’ portrayal scared the hell out of me (I thought he was going to hit that boy!) I did not feel a part of “the Great White Way” until watching Fences in the 46th Street Theater. Shortly after his passing a Broadway house named in his honor.
I was and still am in awe of the magnitude of Wilson’s work. It’s on my list to see every play he has written. So far I saw I’ve seen five out of the ten-play cycle. He inspires me as a writer because Wilson mixed history with humor, the blues, the various hues of my people. He has shown our journey in this country through a beautiful narrative that simply takes my breath away. I found myself reading his plays before and after seeing the theatrical productions. Wilson’s work is a masterclass of African American history. I find myself going to his words, quotes, images all the time. I get inspiration to teach, write and understand parts of myself as I get older
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