The Enduring Charge of August Wilson’s “I Want a Black Director”
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2025
Published In
August Wilson In Context
Abstract
The October 1990 issue of Spin Magazine featured an essay by Wilson, “I Want a Black Director,” in which he described the challenges he encountered while attempting to sell the film rights for Fences in Hollywood. Wilson noted that studio executives were especially hostile to his request to have a Black director helm the project, dismissing it as a sign of the playwright’s naiveté. For Wilson, the disregard he experienced only served to reinforce his view that his work should be directed by artists who, as he put it, shared the sensibilities of Black Americans. This chapter explores the importance of Wilson’s declaration in the essay, contemplating how it proved an important clarion call for the entertainment industry to reevaluate its racist beliefs and hiring practices.
Keywords
August Wilson, American Century Cycle, "I Want a Black Director", Fences, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, The Scottsboro Boys, Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington
Published By
Cambridge University Press
Editor(s)
K. Y. Long and Isaiah Matthew Wooden
Recommended Citation
Isaiah Matthew Wooden.
(2025).
"The Enduring Charge of August Wilson’s “I Want a Black Director”".
August Wilson In Context.
184-194.
DOI: 10.1017/9781009363204.017
https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-theater/85