The

August Wilson Experience

We are hosting a powerful two-day celebration in honor of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright  August Wilson. This immersive weekend will include scholarly conversations, community celebration, and an anticipated theatrical performance.

Originally performed by August Wilson himself,  How I Learned What I Learned is a heartfelt theatrical memoir charting one man’s journey of self-discovery through adversity, and what it means to be a Black artist in America.

What August Wilson Means Now — New York Times

“All you need in the world is love and laughter. That’s all anybody needs. To have love in one hand and laughter in the other.” —  August Wilson

Panel discussion |  Friday, Sept. 12

5:30 PM | lyric theatre

Join us for an insightful panel moderated by Kentucky Poet Laureate and cultural leader Frank X Walker, featuring nationally recognized August Wilson scholars:

• Dr. Sandra Shannon, Howard University
• Herman Daniel Farrell III, University of Kentucky
• Dr. Alan Nadel, University of Kentucky

This conversation will explore Wilson’s enduring impact on American theatre, culture, and Black identity.

 *RSVP ENCOURAGED

Echoes on the HilL |  Friday, Sept. 12

7:30 PM | Harper Hall

A heartwarming evening of music, storytelling, and community. This intergenerational celebration weaves together performances, conversation, and cultural connection—anchored by Wilson’s spirit of humanity.

• Live performances by Honey Child and DJ mappquest
• Heavy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar
• Space for reflection, conversation, & connection across generations

A One-man show |  saturday, Sept. 13

7:30 PM | Lyric Theatre

Experience Wilson’s deeply personal solo piece, How I Learned What I Learned, as brought to life by Jeremy Gillett. Journey through Wilson’s most intimate reflections in this riveting, one-man performance.

Tickets:  $30 (click here to purchase)

About the  Weekend

Join us for a two-day cultural experience honoring Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright  August Wilson, a master storyteller whose words gave voice to ordinary Black lives with unparalleled beauty, wit, and truth.

This weekend invites Lexington—across generations—to reflect, rejoice, and reckon with Wilson’s powerful legacy through performance, music, and collective remembrance.

“[August Wilson] already wrote a masterpiece. And you really don’t know how it’s going to work until you get it in front of an audience.”   —  Denzel Washington on Fences

Why  August Wilson?

August Wilson (1945–2005) crafted the celebrated  Pittsburgh Cycle—ten plays that chronicle African American life across decades. His work remains vital for its poetic language, emotional depth, and unflinching humanity.

“August [Wilson] elevates in us is the average man in a way that is heroic and real and human. What you do is you sit with our pathology, you invest in our humanity… That’s revolutionary.”   —  Viola Davis

And in her Oscar acceptance speech for Fences: “He [Wilson] exhumed and exalted the ordinary people… the stories of the people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition.” 

These words underscore Wilson’s profound gift—making us see ourselves in stories that lift the everyday into the extraordinary.

Get  Involved

Attend:  Reserve your  spot now and experience the power of Wilson’s legacy on stage.

Engage: Share your reflections with  #AugustWilsonExperience  —let’s continue this cultural conversation together.

Celebrate: Be part of a citywide tribute to storytelling, memory, and collective uplift.

"What made Wilson such an Olympian figure was that he could fit the whole country in an office or a backyard and make the bigness of his ideas seem life-size.” —  Wesley Morris, New York Times Theater Critic 

The August Wilson African American Cultural Museum

PULITZER-WINNING PLAYWRIGHT  AUGUST WILSON TO BE HONORED POSTHUMOUSLY WITH STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME  — Walk of Fame