At the core of the Bard of Pittsburgh African Legacy Theatre (BOP) is the genius of August Wilson, one of the great playwrights of history deserving of an association that recognises his contribution to global culture much like the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) acknowledges the genius of William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon. Hence, BOP has eight global aims:
The Mission
Global:
- BOP will produce August Wilson’s African American common man 20th century cycle (like the RSC’s royal Tudor history cycle},
- BOP will produce formidable plays:
i) by black playwrights of yesteryear (like the RSC produces other formidable plays of Shakespeare’s era)
ii) by black foreign playwrights in translation (like the RSC produces formidable foreign plays of Shakespeare’s era in translation)
iii) by contemporary black playwrights
iv) on the black experience - BOP will perform for a theatre-going paying public in major commercial venues and on tour. (like the RSC)
The Bard of Avon is taught. The Bard of Pittsburgh also needs to be taught in schools and colleges. Hence BOP has further educational aims:
- To perform for a student audience in schools and colleges.
- to have academics (e.g. History, English Literature and Drama teachers) give classes to complement the performances in schools and colleges.
The Bard of Avon is translated. The Bard of Pittsburgh also needs to be translated and performed in other languages and territories. Hence BOP has the further aim of reaching out to Africa and the entire black African diaspora:
- To produce in eight territories
i) Africa
ii) USA
iii) UK
iv) France
v) Spain
vi) Portugal
vii) Caribbean Islands
viii) Central & South America
- And in four languages:
i) English (for USA, UK and English-speaking Africa, Caribbean)
ii) French (for France and French-speaking Africa, Caribbean)
iii) Spanish (for Spain and Spanish-speaking Caribbean, Central & South America)
iv) Portuguese (for Portugal and Portuguese-speaking Africa & South America).
The Bard of Pittsburgh Theatre Company is responsible for carrying out the mission in the UK, and will do so by partnering with and supporting black theatre companies.
They are also endorsed and supported by one hundred of the world’s foremost artists including:
ANGELA BASSETT
KENNY LEON
MARIANNE ELLIOTT (director War Horse etc)
BARBRA STREISAND
EDWARD NORTON
RUFUS NORRIS (current artistic director Royal National Theatre)
DANIEL CRAIG
SALMA HAYEK
COSTA-GAVRAS (President of the Cinémathèque français)
OCTAVIA SPENCER
REBECCA HALL
ORLANDO BLOOM
KEITH DAVID
STERLING K. BROWN
FIONA SHAW
ARMANDO IANNUCI
SIR LENWORTH (LENNY) HENRY
KATIE MITCHELL (former associate director at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Court theatre and Royal National theatre)
VANESSA WILLIAMS
LATANYA RICHARDSON JACKSON
ROBERT LEPAGE (founder and artistic director of Ex Machina Canada)
MATHEW RHYS
DAME HELEN MIRREN
TOBY JONES
DAME VANESSA REDGRAVE
ALFRE WOODARD
JEAN-JACQUES ANNAUD
DAME KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS
STEPHEN SONDHEIM
LILY TOMLIN
SIR MARK RYLANCE (first artistic director Shakespeare’s Globe theatre London)
TRACY LETTS
MARK DORNFORD-MAY (artistic director of the Isango Ensemble Cape Town SA)
MARTIN SCORSESE
SANAA LATHAN
CAREY MULLIGAN
GEORGE C. WOLFE
LESLEY MANVILLE
MICHAEL SHEEN
INDIRA ETWAROO
PAAPA ESSIEDU
SIR RICHARD EYRE (former artistic director Royal National Theatre)
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
VIOLA DAVIS
JEREMY IRONS
SIR JONATHAN PRYCE
IMELDA STAUNTON
JOSETTE BUSHELL-MINGO (Principal Royal Central School of Speech and Drama)
COLMAN DOMINGO
CLARKE PETERS
NADIA FALL (current artistic director Stratford East theatre London)
MIKE LEIGH
EUZHAN PALCY (director A Dry White Season etc)
RUTH NEGGA
PATRICK CHAMOISEAU (Prix Goncourt)
DOMINIC COOKE (former artistic director Royal Court theatre London)
CLAIRE FOY
KEN LOACH
STEVE COOGAN
KWAME KWEI-ARMAH (current artistic director Young Vic)
SHARON D CLARKE
Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Barbra Streisand, Mike Leigh, Stephen Sondheim, Costa-Gavras (President of the Cinémathèque français), Sir Richard Eyre (former artistic director Royal National Theatre), Octavia Spencer, Rufus Norris (current artistic director Royal National Theatre), Clarke Peters, Salma Hayek, Viola Davis, Imelda Staunton, Dame Vanessa Redgrave, Armando Iannucci, Sharon D, Clarke, Sir Mark Rylance (first artistic director Shakespeare’s Globe theatre London), Jeremy Irons, Robert Lepage (founder and artistic director of Ex Machina Canada), Sir Lenworth (Lenny) Henry, Kwame Kwei-Armah (current artistic director Young Vic), Michael Sheen, Angela Bassett, Indira Etwaroo, Mathew Rhys, Katie Mitchell (former associate director at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Court theatre and Royal National theatre), Steve Coogan, Toby Jones, Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, Nadia Fall (current artistic director Stratford East theatre London), George C. Wolfe, Ruth Negga, Orlando Bloom, Colman Domingo, Claire Foy, Dominic Cooke (former artistic director Royal Court theatre London), Carey Mulligan, Sterling K. Brown, Edward Norton, Fiona Shaw, Patrick Chamoiseau (Prix Goncourt), Marianne Elliott (director War Horse etc), Sanaa Lathan, Vanessa Williams, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Tracy Letts, Euzhan Palcy (director A Dry White Season etc), Rebecca Hall, Lesley Manville, Kenny Leon, Lily Tomlin, Daniel Craig, Josette Bushell-Mingo (Principal Royal Central School of Speech and Drama), Dame Helen Mirren, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Paapa Essiedu, Mark Dornford-May (artistic director of the Isango Ensemble Cape Town SA), Alfre Woodard, Sir Jonathan Pryce, Keith David, and Ken Loach.
