In this solo show, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson shares stories about his first few jobs, a stint in jail, an early relationship, his first kiss, his foray into cinema, and the friends he has had his entire life. How I Learned What I Learned charts one man’s journey of self-discovery through adversity, and what it means to be a black artist in America.
What is the Story of How I Learned What I Learned?
In How I Learned What I Learned, late playwright August Wilson shares true stories of his childhood, his first few jobs, his first kiss and the artist friends he made in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Told in conversational, memoir-style monologues, this solo show was originally written for the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright to deliver himself. Before his death in 2005, Wilson asked his friend and colleague Ruben Santiago-Hudson to step into his shoes and perform the one-man show. With humor and heart, Santiago-Hudson takes on the challenge with ease in this moving off-Broadway production.
"Hardcore Wilson fans will love this new set of stories. But you needn't be familiar with his writing in order to enjoy 'How I Learned...'"
Entertainment Weekly
Melissa Rose Bernardo
"Mr. Santiago-Hudson, who appeared in the original Broadway productions of Wilson’s 'Gem of the Ocean' and 'Seven Guitars,' and has directed several of his plays, embodies Wilson with an ease surely born of longtime friendship, or at least professional intimacy."
The New York Times
Charles Isherwood
