August Wilson Center Marking 10th Anniversary With Gala, Name Change

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The August Wilson Center will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a gala next week.

The August Wilson African-American Cultural Center occupies the entire 900 block of Pittsburgh's Liberty Avenue.

Named after famous Pittsburgh playwright, August Wilson, the center is an entertainment venue with plays, dance performances and art galleries.

"Our mission is to own and operate a home for the art and storytelling around the African-American experience and the culture of the African diaspora," said Janis Burley Wilson, the president and CEO of the August Wilson Center. "We have programming that fits into a number of genres - music, theater, dance, spoken word, literature."

The center faced criticism a few months ago, regarding the removal of the words African-American from its name.

Wilson says the final name, which includes the words African-American, was determined after rebranding.

"Through our strategic planning process, we have arrived at the August Wilson African-American Cultural Center," said Burley Wilson.

The center was closed for two years because of financial troubles, from 2013-2015.

Wilson says things have changed at the center as 2018 saw a surplus and increased attendance.

"We have exceeded our rental revenues, which means a lot of people, different organizations, are using this building, which is wonderful… because we are really interested in sustainability. We don't this building to ever close again," she said.

The anniversary gala on April 26 will honor August Wilson's legacy and promote activities at the center.

It will feature actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson, dancer Kyle Abraham, as well as local artists.

"We are very interested in presenting the best of the best. Quality is extremely important to us," said Burley Wilson. "We don't want there to be bankruptcy to be in the headlines, as it was before."

It's the center's plan for the future, for continued success.