![]() “It would have been incredible to see what that would have been and it would have been a beautiful thing. Wilson died in 2005 at the age of 60, so fans can only wonder what his take on the new millennium would have been. The collection of 10 plays highlights the plight of Black folks over each decade of the 20th century. The world will finally get to see some of that beautiful work performed by Chadwick Boseman, Michael Potts, Colman Domingo, and Glynn Turman as they star alongside Davis in the film adaptation of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,a play Wilson released in 1982 as part of The Pittsburgh Cycle series. “There’s an excitement there for Black actors of a certain age, there’s a wealth of beautiful roles and beautiful work.” These characters are vivid in our minds because we cross their paths on a daily basis,” he explains. That’s the beauty of August Wilson because he digs into these characters and you relate really quickly. What we see when we’re sitting back and watching is that we see ourselves or we see somebody that’s like somebody we know It’s familiar. “There’s a pathology to these characters, of who they are, where they come from, their backgrounds, all of their messiness, all of their kind of craziness. His 10-play collection also offers opportunities for Black actors of a certain age. Tennon insists that part of the power of Wilson’s work lies in the way the characters he created represented Black people we all know and love. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner) It was just apropos for us to be a part of this because Wilson’s work has been so important to her career and it was a perfect fit for us to be involved and we jumped on right away.”Īctors Julius Tennon (L) and Viola Davis attend The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. Then by 1999, we had just started dating, and then we’re at the Tony Awards and she wins her first Tony for King Hedley II. “In terms of who JuVee is and who Viola is, if you think about all the big moments in her career- I didn’t know her in 1997, I didn’t know her when she did Seven Guitars, but she did that and got a Tony nomination for it. She also starred in Wilson’s Seven Guitars on Broadway and won an Oscar in 2016 for reprising the character of Rose Maxson in the movie version of Fences. Some of Wilson’s work includes King Hedley II and Fences which ran on Broadway featuring Davis, who won the Tony Award for her starring roles in each. He’s up there with all the other greats,” says Tennon during our exclusive interview. He’s one of our foremost playwrights in the country. The students who commit to the demanding and rewarding competition process are encouraged to explore themselves and the world around them through the monologues from Wilson’s century cycle of ten plays focused on the Black experience in America. The national event brings Wilson’s work like Fences and The Piano Lesson to public school students pursuing careers in the performance arts. ![]() The powerful film follows the emotional journey of six students as they advance through the high-stakes August Wilson Monologue Competition, an event that highlights the work of one of America’s preeminent playwrights. The film that follows the legacy of Wilson and his annual monologue competition, where thousands of high school students enter to win their chance perform on Broadway was executive produced by Tennon and his wife, Viola Davis through their JuVee Productions banner, along with John Legend, Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius for their Get Lifted Film Co. ![]() Read More: Viola Davis calls Chadwick Boseman ‘my baby’ during virtual preview of ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ TheGrio caught up with Julius Tennon, co-founder of JuVee Productions to discuss Giving Voice, a documentary we consider essential viewing if you really want to understand the power and impact of Wilson’s prolific work. It’s almost time for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom to debut on Netflix and the highly-anticipated film will likely invite a whole new audience into the world of August Wilson. The actor/producer and JuVee productions co-founder says he and Davis may hit the stage together in the future
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