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The University of Kentucky Department of Theatre and Dance and the College of Arts & Sciences, in collaboration with EMON Event Co, LexArts, and the Lyric Theatre and Cultural Center, proudly present:

The

August Wilson Experience

A Weekend of Legacy, Storytelling, and Celebration

September 12–13, 2025 | Lexington, Kentucky

We hosted a powerful two-day celebration in honor of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. This immersive weekend included scholarly conversations, community celebration, and a 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

This event was 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

The conversation explored Wilson’s enduring impact on American theatre, culture, and Black identity.

Echoes on the HilL | Friday, Sept. 12

7:30 PM | Harper Hall

This event was A heartwarming evening of music, storytelling, and community. The intergenerational celebration weaved together performances, conversation, and cultural connection—anchored by Wilson’s spirit of humanity. attendees enjoyed:

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

attendees Experienced Wilson’s deeply personal solo piece, How I Learned What I Learned, brought to life by Jeremy Gillett. we journeyed through Wilson’s most intimate reflections through a riveting, one-man performance.

Photo Gallery

2025 Event Recap

Echoes on the Hill | Sept. 12, 2025

Stills by Robert Morton

Echoes on the Hill | Sept. 12, 2025

Stills by C. Overstreet

How I Learned What I Learned | Sept. 13, 2025

Stills by HoneySage Photo Co.

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About the Weekend

we hosted 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.

The weekend invited 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

“August Wilson is one of the all‑time greats; it’s a voice… He speaks for the ordinary people. He writes about ordinary people’s warts and all. He’s one of the great playwrights not just for this time, but for all time.” — Denzel Washington

“The star of the movie is the screenplay and August Wilson’s words… Don’t make any decision without August Wilson’s words leading you to make that decision.” — Denzel Washington, on preserving Wilson’s legacy

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

Engage: Share your event reflections online 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

T he August Wilson African American Cultural Museum