THE AUGUST WILSON THEATRE IN NEW YORK CITY, WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY THE VIRGINIA THEATRE. | PHOTO: HJ – STOCK.ADOBE.COM

On Oct. 16, 2005, 14 days after the death of American playwright August Wilson, the Virginia Theatre on Broadway was renamed the August Wilson Theatre. The New York City theater marks the first Broadway theater to be named for an African American.

Wilson made his Broadway debut as a playwright with “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” in 1984. The play, set in the 1920s, is one of Wilson’s 10-part series of plays documenting the 20th-century African American experience. Known as the American Century Cycle, each play takes place in a different decade and all but one are set in the Hill District.

Best known is Wilson’s “Fences,” which received four of the six Tony Awards it was nominated for in 1987. Wilson also received a Pulitzer for the play.

“Fences” 2010 revival, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, took home three Tony Awards, and the revival’s success spurred a film adaptation of the work, also starring Washington and Davis. The film garnered four Academy Award nominations, with one win for Davis.

Wilson’s work maintains the prolific status it held during the playwright’s life. In 2006, Wilson was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. In Pittsburgh, the August Wilson House, Wilson’s childhood home, and the August Wilson African American Cultural Center memorialize his legacy, educating visitors about his work and influence.