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August Wilson (April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was one of America’s most influential playwrights, celebrated for giving powerful voice to the African American experience in the 20th century. Born and raised in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, Wilson dropped out of high school at fifteen after being falsely accused of plagiarism. He continued his education independently at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, where he immersed himself in literature, history, and the blues what he later called his “university of the streets.”

Wilson’s signature achievement, The Century Cycle (also known as The Pittsburgh Cycle), is a series of ten plays with one set in each decade of the 20th century and captures the struggles, triumphs, and spirit of Black life in America. His best-known works include Fences (1985), The Piano Lesson (1987), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984), and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (1986).

Through rich dialogue and poetic realism, Wilson chronicled not just individual stories but the cultural memory of a people. He described his creative process as “eavesdropping on [his] ancestors,” collecting fragments of dialogue, emotion, and history to compose stories that honor the voices of the everyday.

Accolades and Legacy

  • Winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama (Fences, 1987; The Piano Lesson, 1990)

  • Recipient of Tony Awards and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award

  • The August Wilson Theatre on Broadway (formerly the Virginia Theatre) renamed in his honor (2005)

  • Inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame (2006)

  • The August Wilson African American Cultural Center in Pittsburgh continues his legacy through performances, education, and community programs

Pittsburgh Connection
Nearly all of Wilson’s Century Cycle plays are set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, where he grew up surrounded by the language, music, and stories that would define his art. His former home at 1727 Bedford Avenue now serves as the August Wilson House, a cultural landmark dedicated to nurturing artists and preserving his creative legacy.

 THE ART OF EAVESDROPPING

Step 1: The Listen

Students begin by observing and truly listening to the world around them.

  • Visit a public space—a cafeteria, hallway, or park.

  • Listen to the small talk around you.

  • Listen for rhythm, repetition, and emotion that might be hidden in ordinary words.

This exercise mirrors Wilson’s method of finding poetry in everyday speech. It teaches students that creative brilliance often begins with paying attention.

 

Step 2: The Collect 

  • Jot down what you heard.
  • NOT sentences. Just snippets. 
  • Fragments. Stray words. 
  • A phrase that caught your attention.
  • You’re not composing yet.
  • You’re collecting.

Artistry often begins not with invention, but with attentive collection. This mirrors August Wilson’s creative process of gathering fragments of real conversation that later became the raw material for his plays. 

Step 3: The Collage

After gathering their fragments, students remix them into something new.

  • Rearrange snippets to create short pieces of dialogue, spoken-word poems, or scenes.

  • Experiment with juxtaposition by placing two unrelated lines together to see what new meaning emerges.

Through this process, students experience creativity as discovery rather than invention, uncovering voices that already exist in their surroundings.

Step 4: The Reflection

Now read what you created.
That didn’t come from silence.
That came from paying attention.

Sometimes brilliance begins by being still long enough to hear the story already being told.

 

Echoes of Time: Tracing Change Through Place

NCAS Alignment

Creating (Anchor Standard 1): Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Responding (Anchor Standard 7): Perceive and analyze artistic work.
Connecting (Anchor Standard 11): Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.

Essential Questions

  • How does a single place hold the memory of time?

  • What can the past of a place teach us about change, continuity, and community identity?

  • How do artists, historians, and storytellers preserve or reshape memory through creative work?

  • Is history repeating, evolving, or echoing?

Overview

Building on The Art of Eavesdropping, Echoes of Time transforms students into historians, archivists, and artists of place. Inspired by August Wilson’s practice of “eavesdropping on [his] ancestors,” students explore how physical spaces tell layered stories across decades. Through research, analysis, and artistic interpretation, they reveal how history continues to live in the architecture, voices, and values of their communities.

The Challenge

Investigate how one place changes — and what those changes reveal about us.
Students select a landmark, building, or neighborhood and trace its evolution across at least three decades. Using archival photographs, maps, news headlines, and interviews, they create an artistic or multimedia representation showing transformation over time and the enduring patterns that connect past and present.

Skill Development: The Historian’s Lens

Students combine historical inquiry with creative production, applying Depth & Complexity thinking to uncover patterns, perspectives, ethics, and big ideas that shape community identity.

Process Steps

Step 1. Discover the Place

Students select or are assigned a local landmark or site of interest. They begin by mapping or photographing the current space and researching its origins.
Students consider:

  • What stories are visible here—and which are hidden?

  • Who has shaped this space across time?

Depth & Complexity Prompts

  • Patterns: What patterns of use, ownership, or design persist?

  • Change Over Time: How has this place evolved?

  • Ethics: Who has been excluded or silenced in its story?

  • Multiple Perspectives: How might different groups interpret the same space?

Step 2. Dig into the Archives

Students partner with local libraries, historical societies, or digital archives to locate materials from multiple decades. They analyze and annotate their findings using the Depth & Complexity framework.

Students consider:

  • What do photos, headlines, or artifacts reveal about values, priorities, and power in each era?

  • What stories are missing or misrepresented?

Depth & Complexity Prompts

  • Details: What small details reveal the culture of each time period?

  • Trends: What historical or technological forces shaped this site?

  • Language of the Discipline: How do historians, architects, or journalists preserve memory responsibly?

Step 3. Construct the Echo

Students create a written, visual, or performative piece that “echoes” the story of the space. This could take the form of:

  • A scene or monologue set in different decades (inspired by August Wilson’s Century Cycle)

  • A “postcard through time” series depicting transformation

  • A gallery display or short film pairing archival imagery with creative narration

Depth & Complexity Prompts

  • Big Ideas: What enduring themes or lessons emerge across time?

  • Across Disciplines: How do art, architecture, and storytelling work together to preserve cultural identity?

  • Rules: What societal or structural “rules” guided development, access, or preservation?

  • Relationships Over Time: How do cause-and-effect relationships shape the site’s story?

Step 4. Exhibit the Cycle

Students curate their artifacts and creative pieces into a living gallery titled Echoes of Time.
They might:

  • Create an installation comparing “Then” and “Now.”

  • Present a podcast or digital story.

  • Host a “walking exhibit” where audience members move through decades in sequence.

Students consider:

  • How can the audience feel the passage of time?

  • How does presentation shape perception and emotion?

Step 5. Reflection and Critique

Students reflect on what their chosen place reveals about change and identity. They engage in a peer critique centered on historical accuracy, emotional impact, and ethical representation.

Guiding Questions:

  • What forces shaped this space most significantly?

  • How has your perception of your community changed through this process?

  • What stories deserve to be told next?

Step 6. Debrief and Extend

  • Connect the local story to broader national or global themes of change and continuity.

  • Discuss how communities decide what to preserve or forget.

  • Collaborate with a local historical society to contribute student work to a digital archive or exhibit.

Application for Gifted Learners

Gifted learners synthesize research, empathy, and creative expression to become curators of community memory. They analyze complex historical systems, evaluate ethical considerations, and design authentic expressions of time and place.

Prompt Extensions for Advanced Thinking:

  • How does collective memory shape identity and justice?

  • In what ways can art serve as both documentation and protest?

  • How do we balance preservation with progress?

Possible Culminating Products

  • Multimedia gallery installation (Echoes of Time)

  • Archival-inspired dramatic performance or podcast

  • Illustrated or digital timeline

  • Augmented reality map overlay

  • Community storytelling exhibit

 

Online Resources

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