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American playwright August Wilson (1945–2005), in New York in 2000 August Wilson had a magnificent ear. His supreme gift as a playwright was for transforming African American vernacular into crystalline poetry onstage. His sense for language was also evident in how he chose to be known. Growing up in the largely Black, poor, and working-class Hill District of Pittsburgh, dreaming of the sort of literary glory enjoyed by his idols Richard Wright and Langston Hughes, the young man must have known that “Frederick Kittel Jr., Great Black Writer” somehow didn’t have the right ring to it. A...

David Lee The director of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, an adaptation of August Wilson’s 1982 play that’s streaming now on Netflix, is discussing Hollywood’s seemingly reinvigorated appetite for adapting theater—evident in recent productions like The Boys in the Band, The Prom, Cats, and even his own latest—but doesn’t believe it’s anything new. “I think what is true is that Hollywood is filled with closeted theater folk,” he says. “And then periodically some of those people who are obsessed end up in positions of authority and they say, ‘Yes, we're doing it.’ That's...

The latest episode of Show People, available now on Broadway.com, features Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek chatting with Tony winner Tonya Pinkins. Pinkins has always been creative—she started writing a novel in first grade. Her Broadway resume is full of forward-thinking shows like Merrily We Roll Along, Jelly's Last Jam, The Wild Party, Caroline, or Change, Radio Golf and more. It showcases her commitment to growing as an artist. "As a Gemini, I get bored too easily," she said. "I don't want to repeat what I did before." Gregory Hines & Tonya Pinkins in Jelly's Last Jam (Photo: Martha ...

*ShowBiz Stories (SBS), founded by Marion J. Caffey (producer, Apollo Amateur Night), launched today, December 10 featuring personal and moving stories submitted via video by dozens of artists from across multiple disciplines, from theatre and music to television and film. Anyone can submit their own video on the Tell Us Your Story page at showbizstories.com/upload/. Since the dawn of time, humans have used storytelling to communicate, entertain, and educate. SBS is The Truth Behind the Curtain; the new global home where fans not only get to watch but also participate and share their industr...