Research Guides: Fences: Articles

Articles

Rescuing the Tragic Bully in August Wilson's Fences.
The article explores the African American experience during the 20th century in the play "Fences" by August Wilson. Topics discussed include the plot and key characters of the play, its exploration of race relations, and its portrayal of a black family struggling to get by in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the 1950s.
Fertile ground: August Wilson's 'Fences'
"August Wilson touched off a vigorous debate in the theater world when he declared, in 1996, that "colorblind casting is an aberrant idea" and a tool of "cultural imperialism." Wilson, one of postwar America's most significant playwrights, was addressing the national conference of the nonprofit organization Theatre Communications Group (where I once worked). His forceful speech (later published as The Ground on Which I Stand) got people arguing about race in the theater, and especially the practice of casting black actors in roles written for whites. "
"Mouths on Fire": August Wilson's Blueswomen
Argues that Wilson's characters can be understood through their relationships to blues and their female counterparts.

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