The film adaptation of August Wilson’s play “Fences” will kick off UW-Stout’s annual Reading Across Campus program.
“Fences,” a 2016 film directed by and starring Denzel Washington, will screen from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, in room 110 of Jarvis Hall Science Wing, 410 10th Ave. E. The event is free and open to the public.
Also starring Viola Davis, the film focuses on a black couple struggling in 1950s Pittsburgh during the last vestiges of Jim Crow. Washington acted the role of Troy in a Broadway production of the play in 2010 and began working on the film in 2013.
Washington portrays a waste collector, failed baseball player in the Negro Leagues and a former convict. Davis portrays his spouse, raising a family amidst turmoil.
August Wilson, who died in 2005, insisted that the film involve a black director.
The film was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay; Davis won as Best Supporting Actress. The film was also nominated for two Golden Globe awards. “Fences” was selected as one of the 10 best films of 2016 by the American Film Institute.
Penumbra Theatre speaker March 1
The main Reading Across Campus event will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 1, at UW-Stout’s Harvey Hall Theatre. Lou Bellamy, founding director of Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, will be the guest speaker.
Bellamy’s talk will celebrate Penumbra Theatre’s long association with Wilson and the social perspectives and relevance today of the 1985 play, which won the Pulitzer Prize.
The March 1 event also is free and open to the public.
As part of Reading Across Campus, about 250 UW-Stout students are studying and doing research on “Fences” and related topics in their classes. Instructional Resources Service at UW-Stout provided the 250 copies of the book for the program.
Reading Across Campus events are hosted by the university’s Literature Committee, part of the department of English and Philosophy. The program also is supported by Chancellor’s Office; Provost’s Office; Center for Applied Ethics; and the Dean’s Office from the College of Arts, Communication, Humanities and Social Sciences.
For more information, contact instructor Peter Olson, olsonpete@uwstout.edu.
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