August Wilson's Ground 2026

Join us for this year's installment of August Wilson's Ground annual event series, hosted by the August Wilson Society in collaboration with NYU Tisch School of the Arts at the African Grove Theater. This year's event consists of a panel conversation, moderated by Carl Cofield (Associate Arts Professor and Chair of Graduate Acting at NYU Tisch) and featuring Dr. Sandra G. Shannon (Professor Emerita at Howard University and Founder of the August Wilson Society) and Rosalyn Coleman (cast member of the current Broadway revival of Joe Turner's Come and Gone), followed by an audience Q&A. Spend an evening celebrating August Wilson with other artists, makers, scholars, and fans committed to carrying Wilson's legacy forward.

Date: Monday, June 22, 2026 at 7:30–9:00pm
Location: African Grove Theater, 181 Mercer (4th floor), New York, NY 10012

Since 2019, the August Wilson's Ground series, hosted by the August Wilson Society (AWS), has been committed to advancing August Wilson studies by creating a space for leading-edge critical perspectives on Wilson’s American Century Cycle through the lens of multiple disciplines. This forum is one of several venues regularly hosted by AWS to encourage informed discussions on the enduring relevance of Wilson's life and literary legacy. The AWS Ground series hosts a lineup of noted guest speakers who “ground” their talks in one of the multiple disciplines featured in Wilson’s work—art, activism, religion, music, African retentions, economics, gender dynamics, etc.—and who situate their lectures in the present moment.

The August Wilson Society (AWS) is a 501(c)(3) organization and interdisciplinary learning community, founded by Dr. Sandra G. Shannon at Howard University in 2005, dedicated to promoting the study, teaching, performance, research, and safeguarding of the rich legacy that renowned playwright August Wilson has bequeathed to us in the form of his American Century Cycle: ten plays that chronicle the history, decade by decade, of African Americans in the twentieth century. In collaboration with the August Wilson Estate, August Wilson House, and the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, AWS organizes multiple programs and events—including its biennial colloquium—that introduce August Wilson to new generations of learners and oblige others who seek more intense engagement with his works.

Join the family of Wilsonians across the country and beyond by making a donation or becoming a sustaining member of AWS: https://www.augustwilsonsociety.org/join-donate

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