Long Wharf Theatre And Yale Repertory Theatre To Host The New Haven Regional August Wilson Monologue Competition

Long Wharf Theatre (LWT), in collaboration with Yale Repertory Theatre (YRT), will host the 2019 New Haven Regional August Wilson Monologue Competition (AWMC).The Regional Competition will be presented on Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 7 PM at Yale Repertory Theatre, 1120 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06510. Fifteen participants from the Greater New Haven Area, Hartford County, and Fairfield County, will compete to win all-expense paid trip to the National Competition in NYC where they will perform on a Broadway stage, see a Broadway play, and have a chance to win college scholarships. The National Competition will take place in May 6, 2019 at Broadway's August Wilson Theatre.

"The goal of the competition is to build partnerships with schools and theaters across the United States, and to create educational materials about August Wilson that allow students to connect these important theatre works with educational curricula like history, social studies and literature," said Todd Kreidler, Associate Artistic Director, Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company. "This monologue competition offers students of all races the opportunity to inhabit the lives and speak the words of these vital, lively characters."

For New Haven's second year participating, LWT and YRT set out to double student and school participation, add two public staged readings of the first two American Century Cycle Plays, and offer free master classes for students whose schools are not involved and for those who would like additional coaching time. "We are delighted to announce that we accomplished these goals by working with students from our four returning schools of ACES Educational Center for the Arts, CES Regional Center for the Arts, Cooperative Arts and Humanities Magnet High School, and Wilbur Cross High School and engaging four new schools; Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, Hamden High School, New Haven Adult and Continuing Education, and Riverside Academy. We were honored to host readings of Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf at the IVES Main Library and Stetson Library branches of the New Haven Free Public Library with local actors, directed by Aleta Staton. The NHFPL branches also generously gave spaces for the master classes offered to any student who wanted to engage in the program." said Long Wharf Theatre Director of Education, Madeline Newman.

This national program is produced in collaboration between Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre and Jujamcyn Theatre. The program is now in Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Haven, New York, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Dallas, and Greensboro. New Haven is thrilled to continue Wilson's legacy and to honor his rich history in Connecticut. The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center helped establish Wilson as a major voice in American theatre and Yale Repertory Theatre is renowned for staging six world premieres of August's work.

Sponsorship for the National August Wilson Monologue Competition is provided by Delta Air Lines and Aetna.

For more information visit longwharf.org/august-wilson-monologue-competition or call 203-772-8272.