We will focus on the realities of the character King, from August Wilson’s King Hedley II, in 1985 Pittsburgh; as well as the current state of affairs in 2018 America.
Our panelists include Dr. Chris Bell and Dr. Shondrika Moss-Bouldin of the August Wilson Society and Mr. Gary Washington, an attorney who is an expert on laws and policies around criminal justice and reform. Moderated by Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Associate Artistic Director Jamil Jude.
The panel will begin after the March 2nd performance of King Hedley II. Tickets are required for the actual performance, however the conversation in free and open to the public.
Dr. Shondrika Moss-Bouldin is currently teaching Theatre at Georgia State University and she is the co-founder of Soulploitation Creative Works, LLC (www.scworks.tv), a multi-media production company based out of Atlanta and Los Angeles. She has earned all of her degrees from Northwestern University (B.A., M.A., PhD) in Performance. Currently, she serves on the executive board of the August Wilson Society as co-membership chair. She piloted and developed the August Wilson competition for Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company. She is a proud member of The Lincoln Center’s 2012 Director’s Lab and she directs across the country. Some of her previous artistic and consultant work has been with Disney Theatrical Productions, The Kennedy Center, Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company, Hattiloo Theatre, Horizon Theatre, Creative Arts Team, Cobb and Atlanta Public Schools, Chicago Shakespeare, Georgia Council for the Arts, The National Black Arts Festival, and The National Black Theatre Festival. Dr. Moss-Bouldin also specializes in acting workshops and private coaching.
Chris Bell is an Associate Professor of English at the University of North Georgia, where he specializes in modern drama. He received his Ph.D. in English from Georgia State University, where he wrote his doctoral dissertation on August Wilson. He earned his Master’s degree in English at Western Carolina, with a thesis on Tennessee Williams. Chris’s essay “A Century Lacking Progress: The Fractured Community in Gem of the Ocean and King Hedley II” appears in August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle: Critical Perspectives on the Plays. He presents regularly on August Wilson at numerous regional and national conferences and is currently co-educational coordinator of the August Wilson Society. Chris lives in Lawrenceville, Georgia with his wife Layla and their three children, Miles, 13, Owen, 8, and Aniston, 6. He quit watching NBA games when the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant but remains an insufferable Dallas Cowboys fan.
Gary Washington is an attorney who is licensed to practice law in Georgia and South Carolina. He has thirty years of litigation experience with an emphasis in criminal defense. As a criminal defense attorney, Attorney Washington frequently challenges illegal police stops, arrests, searches, and interrogations. Attorney Washington graduated from Rutgers University School of Law in New Jersey where he served as Editor of the Rutgers Law Review. After law school, Washington began his legal career as a judicial law clerk for his mentor and renowned civil rights attorney, the late Matthew J. Perry, federal district court judge in South Carolina. Later, Washington worked as a staff attorney for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia. Attorney Washington is a past instructor at the National Criminal Defense College, Mercer Law School in Macon, Georgia and he has lectured for the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Attorney Washington is also a frequent speaker on the topic: “Act like a student. Think Like a Cop: Know your rights.” He also frequently gives talks on the topic: “Youth and the law: What young people don’t know that can land them in jail.” Washington’s mission is to empower citizens with knowledge of their rights, and how to effectively assert them, during encounters with law enforcement officers. Attorney Washington has given numerous “know your rights” workshops both in the State of Georgia, and beyond, for civic organizations, churches, schools, universities, state prisons and yes, even barbershops. Like his famous cousin, Kerry Washington, who plays Olivia Pope on “Scandal,” Attorney Washington is a gladiator. He is passionate in his fight to defend the rights of his clients. Attorney Washington’s career is dedicated to making the law a better tool of justice.
