 |
|
 |
Remembering August
Signature Theatre Company announced in 2003 that August Wilson would be Playwright-in-Residence for the theatre's fifteenth anniversary celebration, a season that would present his first work beyond his twentieth-century cycle. After Wilson's sudden illness and death in October 2005, Signature remained dedicated to present The August Wilson Series, though it was new territory for the company to produce a season without the playwright present. Throughout the season, Signature turned to many of Wilson's key collaborators to help keep his impulses and instincts present as much as possible. But most important throughout this process has been the theatre's collaboration with Wilson's wife, Constanza Romero.
Romero is a costume designer and visual artist, and she met August Wilson in 1987 while working at the Yale Repertory Theatre. They were married in 1994, and she designed costumes and created artwork for many of the original productions of Wilson's plays. She was also a sounding board and supporter at every stage of the evolution of Wilson's plays, and accordingly, she has stepped in to fill that same key role for every aspect of creating Signature's August Wilson Series. Founding Artistic Director James Houghton thanked her for this enormous contribution, saying, "I want to express my gratitude to Constanza. She has so clearly honored August through her dedication and devotion to both him and his work. As a collaborator she has been an extraordinary gift."
In a recent conversation just before rehearsals for King Hedley II began, Romero discussed her work with Wilson and her important role in The August Wilson Series.
Signature Edition: How did you collaborate with August on the development of his work?
Constanza Romero: To be as close as I was to August was to be very involved with his plays. As soon as he finished one he started another. He talked about his characters as though they were real people. He'd say, "Well, you know what Holloway said about his grandfather...?" or "I just saw Stool Pigeon walking down the street." As I worked with him designing costumes, we collaborated very closely. I'll give you some examples. With Seven Guitars, he would talk about the character of Louise-- how she's in everybody's business and acts like she owns the place. I said, "Couldn't she be the caretaker of the property and collect the rent for Bella?" and he said, "That's a great idea" and he used it. Also, I did a costume sketch of Red Carter looking streetwise, appealing to the ladies, very sharp. August liked it and said, "Oh, I'm going to make the character of Red Carter fit the sketch more." We worked together that way.
When we first got together I learned how to read the first drafts of his plays. I called them his "baby plays." I would have to say to myself, "this is not the finished thing, these are ideas. What are the main themes I can get out of this play to mention to August so I'm not squashing an idea that will be very important later?" I was so excited and felt privileged to be part of this process. Then I read his "teenaged plays" and sure enough, slowly, as if by magic, they grew to be the full-fledged plays we saw on Broadway.
SE: What do you think will be the cumulative impact of the three plays that are in Signature's August Wilson Series?
CR: Signature audiences will see the connections between the plays, not to mention that they will also appreciate the richness and the range of August's creative power. There is a very clear connection between Seven Guitars and King Hedley II. The setting of King Hedley II is practically the same back yard, only forty years later. In the later play, they will see what happens to Ruby and her baby and the ramifications of the murders committed in Seven Guitars. Then, with Two Trains Running, they will see that it is a pearl in the same necklace as Radio Golf, August's final play in the twentieth-century cycle, set in the 1990s and slated to open in May on Broadway. Those astute Signature Theatre goers will see Sterling Johnson, the young, impetuous ex-bank robber in Two Trains Running, now be the conscience and guardian of the neighborhood in Radio Golf. Both plays are about urban renewal, but in Radio Golf they will see that there is a price to be paid if you sell out your African-American legacy for personal gain.
I must also say that King Hedley II was a very important play for August. I felt compelled to choose it for the season because I thought it would benefit from another perspective, at an intimate venue here in New York.
SE: Why did you think it was important to continue with Signature's August Wilson series?
CR: I wanted to honor and respect August's wishes of working at Signature, and his commitment to Jim Houghton. Before his illness, August reveled in the thought that 2007 was going to be the August Wilson season in New York, because his work would be both at the Signature and on Broadway. When I first spoke to Jim about the season, I did not know that it would become such a labor of love for me personally.
You [Signature] have opened the doors for me and allowed me to be so involved with every aspect of the plays. This has allowed me to focus the grief of losing him to a very constructive place, which is the continuation of his work. One of August's favorite lines from Gem of the Ocean was "so live!" August lives through his work. For me, going into the rehearsal room, hearing the words of Seven Guitars, Two Trains Running, King Hedley II, all three plays written in the time I knew and loved him, is like a spark going off, making different moments we were together come to life. I laugh when I hear his unique logic and untamed stubbornness, and cry when I hear his infinite humanity.
[back to top]
|
|
