AUGUST WILSON LIFE AND WORK CHRONOLOGY
1945 Born Frederick August Kittel, 4th child and first son to Daisy Wilson Kittel, originally from Spear, NC and Frederick August Kittel, immigrant baker from Hungary, in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, PA
1948 Wilson learns to read at 3 years old.
1955 Wilson wrote his first poem in school.
1959 Wilson leaves school at 14 after being falsely accused of turning in a paper the black teacher said his older sister had written.
1962 Joins the Army at 17. Leaves within two years. Finds surrogate father figures in boxer Charley Burley and step father, ex-convict David Bedford.
1965 Bought first typewriter. Bought first blues record, Bessie Smith. Spent three days in jail for breaking into his apartment after being locked out for nonpayment of rent. Father dies. Name change to August Wilson.
1967 Saw and was inspired by performance of saxophonist John Coltrane at Crawford Grill in the Hill District.
1968 Cofounded Black Horizons Theatre Company, a community theater, with Rob Penny.
1969 Married Nation of Islam Member, Brenda Burton. Stepfather died.
1970 First daughter, Sakina Ansari, born.
1970-1972 Published poems in various magazines.
1972 Marriage to Brenda Burton ends in divorce. Joined and quit Nation of Islam in an attempt to save his marriage.
1973 Wilson writes his first play, Recycle.
1976 Wilson writes his second play, The Homecoming, a play about blues musician Blind Lemon Jefferson. Cofounded Kuntu Writers Workshop. Began writing Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
1977 Wilson writes third play, The Coldest Day, a play about breakup. Wrote fourth Black Bart and the Sacred Hills, a play about a black stage coach robber.
Wilson discovers the art of Romare Bearden through an exhibition catalog purchased by friend Claude Purdy, The Prevalence of Ritual.
Moves to Minnesota, works as a part-time cook. Begins writing Jitney.
1979 Job with Science Museum of Minnesota, writing short scripts for Profiles in Science
1980 Wilson writes Fullerton Street.
1981 Marries 2nd wife, Judy Oliver, a social worker. Attends Summer O’Neill Theatre Center. Submits work to National Playwrights Conference.
1982 Completes and produces Jitney in Pittsburgh. Submitted Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
1983 Mother, Daisy Wilson Kittel Bedford dies. Produced Mill Hand’s Lunch Bucket, later combined under Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.
1984 Introduced Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Calls it his favorite play. Produced Ma Rainey at Yale Rep. Ma Rainey premiers on Broadway, earning Wilson his 1st New York Drama Critic Circle award. Receives Rockefeller fellowship.
1985 Jitney opens in Minnesota. Wilson complete writing Fences. Wins a McKnight fellowship, a Tony nomination, and a second New York Drama Critics award.
1986 Joe Turner’s Come and Gone wins another Drama Critics award, 1st American Critics award, and Drama Desk best play. Wilson wins Guggenheim fellowship and Writing Foundation Writer’s Purse.
1987 Wilson awarded Pulitzer Prize for Fences. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone wins New York Drama Critics best play award, Helen Hayes citation, New York Public Library Literary Lion Award, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle best play award. Awarded honorary doctorate by Yale University. Met costume designer Constanza Romero.
1988 The Piano Lesson opens at Yale Rep. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Fences run simultaneously on Broadway.
1989 2nd American Theatre Critics Awards for Fences and Ma Rainey.
1990 Two Trains Running, Wilson’s fifth play, opens at Yale Rep. The Piano Lesson premiers on Broadway and earns Wilson’s 2nd Pulitzer, Drama Critics Circle award, and 3rd American Theatre Critics Award. Divorces Judy Oliver and moves to Seattle. Named Pittsburgher of the Year.
1991 4th American Theatre Critics Award, Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame award. Two Trains Running opens at Kennedy Center.
1992 Honorary doctorate from U Pitt. Two Trains Running on Broadway. 5th American Theatre Critics award. 2nd Tony for best play.
1993 Antaeus magazine publishes 4-minute play, The Janitor
1994 Marries Constanza Romero. Agrees to TV filming of The Piano Lesson.
1995 CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame telecasts The Piano Lesson. In one night more people see an August Wilson play than every previous stage performance of every Wilson play. Emmy award. Wilson inducted into American Academy of Arts and Letters.
1996 Seven Guitars on Broadway. Wilson re-writes Jitney.
1997 Jitney performed in New Jersey. Wilson’s second daughter, Azula Carmen, born.
1998 Wilson founded African Grove Institute of the Arts. American Theatre Critic award. Accepted New Frontier Playwright Award. Inducted into Literary Hall of fame for Writers of African Descent.
1999 Joe Turner’s Come and Gone named one of the top 50 plays of the 20th century. Honorary doctorate from Cal State. Another Drama Critics Circle Award. Issued High School Diploma by Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. NEH National Humanities Medal.
2000 Jitney revival off Broadway. King Hedley II (8th play) opened at Seattle Rep.
2001 New York Drama Critic Circle best play of the year. King Hedley II opens on Broadway. Awarded honorary doctorate by Clarion (PA) University.
2002 Laurence Olivier best play award. Monte Cristo Award. Seattle Corporate Council Lifetime Achievement award. Honorary doctorate U Minnesota. King Hedley II premiered in London.
2003 Ma Rainey revival on Broadway. Jitney performed in Uganda. Gem of the Ocean opened in Chicago and Los Angeles. Lifetime Achievement Award from The New Dramatists. One man show: How I Learned What I Learned at Seattle Rep.
2004 Gem of the Ocean opened in Boston. Premiered on Broadway. Heinz Award in Arts and Humanities.
2005 Wilson dies of inoperable liver cancer.
2006 Final play in the Cycle, Radio Golf, opens in Baltimore and in Boston. Wilson inducted posthumously into American Theatre Hall of Fame
2007 Radio Golf premiers on Broadway. New York Drama Critics Circle Award. Outstanding Revival (Two Trains Running)
2010 Tony award, Best Revival (Fences).
2013 Lucille Lortel Outstanding Revival (Two Trains Running).
2016 Fences adapted to film on Netflix
2017 Tony, Best Revival. (Jitney). Fences: Best supporting actress Oscar, Golden Globe, Bafta For Viola Davis performance of Rose
2020 Ma Rainey adapted to film on Netflix
2021 Screen Actors Guild Best Actor (Chadwick Boseman) and Best Actress Award (Viola Davis)