Meet August Wilson Program Alumnus Pablo Lopez
Center Theatre Group is now in its fourth year serving as the Los Angeles home to the national August Wilson Monologue Competition in which high school students discover Pulitzer-Prize-winning, African American playwright August Wilson and bring his characters to life. We recently caught up with many of our alumni and will share updates with you as we prepare for our 2015 August Wilson Monologue Competition Los Angeles Regional Finals on March 2 at the Mark Taper Forum.
Meet Pablo Lopez | 2013 National Finalist
WHERE HE IS NOW
I am currently in Los Angeles auditioning for drama schools in New York City and on the West Coast. In taking time to transition from being a student at the University of California, Davis to attending art school this coming fall, I have gained valuable perspective. I’m spending this interim period interning at the California State Summer School for the Arts Foundation, attending performances, reading countless plays and books, but most of all finding inspiration from friends and family.
BIGGEST TAKEAWAY
For the first time, I learned of the intimate relationship between music/rhythm and dramatic performance. Learning in the master class and researching August Wilson’s source of inspiration, I found a deep love for ancient rhythms that survived Western expansion. I take this passion with me in devising new dramatic pieces of my own.
ADVICE FOR REGIONAL FINALISTS
Congratulations! There is so much joy and life with Center Theatre Group Education and Community Partnerships staff, and I hope you are electrified by this experience. Trust Wilson’s words. Here is one of my favorite quotes for performance from Basil King: “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.”
THOUGHTS ON AUGUST WILSON
To August Wilson, America is much more than an extension of Europe. It is a land of color. He believes that your African roots are something to take pride in, to draw strength from, and reclaiming them means rejecting centuries of dehumanization and abject poverty.