Explore the life and legacy of August Wilson, the playwright some call America's Shakespeare, who chronicled the 20th-century black experience. Features James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, Laurence Fishburne, Viola Davis, new dramatic readings and rare footage.
American Masters: August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Explore the life and legacy of playwright August Wilson (April 27, 1945 - October 2, 2005), the man some call America's Shakespeare, from his roots as an activist and poet to his indelible mark on Broadway. Film and theater luminaries including Viola Davis, Charles Dutton, Laurence Fishburne, James Earl Jones, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Phylicia Rashad share their stories of the career- and life-changing experience of bringing Wilson's rich theatrical voice to the stage.
With unprecedented access to Wilson's theatrical archives, rarely seen interviews and new dramatic readings, filmmaker Sam Pollard (Slavery by Another Name) brings to life Wilson's seminal 10-play cycle chronicling each decade of the 20th-century African-American experience, including the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning Fences and Pulitzer-winning The Piano Lesson. Family, friends, colleagues, and scholars trace Wilson's influences, creative evolution, triumphs, struggles, and quest for cultural determinism before his untimely death from liver cancer.
Producer: Sam Pollard, Julie Sacks
Executive Producer: Darryl Ford Williams, Susan Lacy
Production Company: Thirteen; WQED – Qed Communication
Production Year: 2015
Copyright Year: 2014
Rating: TV-PG
Talent: August Wilson
Writers: Stephen Stept
Number of Discs: 1
Length: 85 minutes
Subtitled: Y
Subtitle Languages: English (SDH)
Audio Format: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 Widescreen