Wednesday, we’re talking about August Wilson, one of the great American playwrights … period. That doesn’t need the qualifier that he was a black playwright. But his plays were about the black experience in this country, and one of his masterpieces was Fences. Denzel Washington’s film version is now in theaters, and the stage version has just opened at Pioneer Theatre Company. We’re taking the opportunity to talk about the heart breaking beauty of August Wilson’s work.
UPDATED: Salt Lake City's People Productions stages MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM Apr 13 - 23. DETAILS
Programming Note: RadioWest will air at 10:00 a.m. after President-elect Donald Trump's 9:00 a.m. press conference.
- Pioneer Theatre Company's production of Fences runs through January 21 in the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre on the Campus of the University of Utah. Performances are at 7:00 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays, with Saturday matinees at 2:00 p.m. For tickets or more information, call 801-581-6961 or click here.
- The film version of Fences is currently playing at the Broadway Centre Cinemas. For showtimes and more details, visit Salt Lake Film Society.
Guests:
- Professor Sandra Shannon is a scholar of African-American literature and teaches English at Howard University in Washington D.C. Among her many books are The Dramatic Vision of August Wilson [Independent Bookstores|Amazon] and August Wilson's Fences: A Reference Guide [Independent Bookstores|Amazon]
- Timothy Douglas directs Pioneer Theatre Company's production of Fences. It's his 4th time directing the play, and he's directed 9 of August Wilson's 10 plays.
- Bob Mondello is arts and film critic for NPR. Hear his review of Fences.
