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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

JUJAMCYN THEATERS &
KENNY LEON’S TRUE COLORS THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCE
7TH ANNUAL NATIONAL AUGUST WILSON
MONOLOGUE COMPETITION 

AT AUGUST WILSON THEATRE
MONDAY, MAY 4, 2015 

New York, NY (March 25, 2015) – Jujamcyn Theaters (Jordan Roth, President) and True Colors Theatre Company (Kenny Leon, Co-Founding Artistic Director) have announced the 7th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition will take place on Monday, May 4th at 7:00 p.m. at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street).  The event, which is free and open to the public, features high school students from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, Porland and Seattle performing monologues by the late, legendary American playwright.

Founded in 2007, the Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition aims to expose a new generation of creative minds to the life’s work and artistic legacy of this seminal American playwright. Program participants in cities across the country encounter Wilson’s ten-play cycle and receive coaching from teaching artists as they prepare their monologues for local, city-wide and national competitions.

A panel of celebrity judges will evaluate the competitors and select a winner. 

The evening will also include performances by well-known Wilsonian veterans and special musical guests.  The complete list of performers will be announced shortly.  Among those who have previously lent their support as performers, judges and guests are Phylicia Rashad, Russell Hornsby, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Scott Rudin, Guy Davis, Lynda Gravatt, Keith Randolph Smith, Tamara Tunie, Katori Hall, Maurice Hines, Roslyn Ruff, Crystal Dickinson, Brandon J. Dirden, Chris Chalk, LaTanya Richardson, Heather Alicia Simms, Pauletta Washington, and Mykelti Williamson, among others.  In the past, students have had the opportunity to spend time with other prominent Broadway performers over the course of the weekend, including Denzel Washington and Daniel Radcliffe.

This year's competition will afford students from these cities around the country the opportunity to attend a Broadway show, work closely with two of Wilson’s closest collaborators: director Kenny Leon and dramaturg Todd Kreidler, and explore popular Manhattan attractions before making their Broadway stage debuts. The two finalists from each regional city will compete, and the top contestants will be chosen to perform on the August Wilson Stage on Monday evening, May 4th.

The top three contestants from the national competition receive monetary awards. The first place winner will receive a $1500 cash prize, the runner-up a $1000 cash prize and the honorable mention a $500 cash prize. Each of the winners will also become eligible for college scholarship opportunities and all finalists receive the gift of TCG’s Century Cycle collection.

The Monologue Competition is also featured in “The Start of Dreams”, a documentary directed by The Horne Brothers. Featuring A-list actors like Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Phylicia Rashad, “The Start of Dreams” is packed with Hollywood’s elite weighing in on this important art form and what it means to the United States.  The documentary has been screened at 9 festivals across the country including the Atlanta Film Festival, the Pan-African Film Festival in Los Angeles, and the UrbanWorld Festival in New York. A trailer for the film is available at the link listed below.

The national August Wilson Monologue Competition is presented by Delta Air Lines with additional funding support from Publix Supermarket Charities, Massey Charitable Trust, Bank of America, The Imlay Foundation, and Macy's.

For more information, visit www.AugustWilsonMonologue.com. 

About Jujamcyn Theaters: Jujamcyn Theaters, founded in 1956, is widely recognized as a Broadway innovator, championing shows that push theatrical boundaries and delivering service and hospitality that redefines both the theatergoing and theatre-making experiences.  The company owns and operates five Broadway theatres including the St. James, Al Hirschfeld, August Wilson, Eugene O'Neill, and Walter Kerr. The dynamic leadership team is led by Jordan Roth, Paul Libin and Jack Viertel, the company's President, Executive Vice President and Senior Vice President, respectively. Jujamcyn presents some of the most influential and successful musicals and plays on Broadway today. Current and upcoming productions include The Book of Mormon, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Jersey Boys, Kinky Boots, and Something Rotten!.  Past productions include American Idiot, Angels in America, Big River, Caroline or Change, Clybourne Park, Fela!, Grey Gardens, Guys & Dolls, Hair, How to Succeed in Business, Into the Woods, M. Butterfly, The Producers, Proof, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Spring Awakening and 6 plays by August Wilson.  In addition to its core theatre business, Jujamcyn operates Givenik.com and Red Awning. Givenik.com is a unique service allowing theatergoers to buy discounted tickets and give 5% of their ticket price to the charity of their choice. The program currently supports over 500 charitable organizations from major national agencies to local PTA groups. Red Awning provides executive producing services to a variety of Broadway and touring productions.

True Colors Theatre Company is a national theatre company based in Atlanta, GA. Founded by Artistic Director Kenny Leon, and Managing Director Jane Bishop, True Colors mission is grounded and centered in the rich canon of African American classics with a strong commitment to diverse new voices. True Colors strives to be an important voice in the American discussion of diversity including plays and playwrights from various times, cultures and perspectives. True Colors' next shows are Kevin Ramsey's Chasin' dem Blues: The Untold Story of Paramount Records in July 2015 and Lydia Diamond's Smart People directed by Kenny Leon in October 2015.

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