Leslie Uggams, Brandon Dirden & More Set for AUGUST WILSON AMERICAN CENTURY CYCLE Series at Green Space, 8/26-9/28

The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC and WQXR, the state-of-the-art venue of the nation's most listened-to news/talk and classical public radio stations, will make history this fall when it creates, for the first time, exclusive recordings of all 10 of August Wilson's American Century Cycle Plays.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson, the Artistic Director of the project, and Indira Etwaroo, the Executive Producer today announced that the series will kick off with Wilson's Tony-nominated Ma Rainey'S BLACK BOTTOM on Monday, August 26 and conclude with RADIO GOLF on Saturday, September 28.

Through the support of Signature Sponsor Lincoln Motor Company and other funders, the plays will be presented in the order they originally premiered at The Greene Space, an intimate performance space and broadcast studio in Downtown Manhattan, in front of live studio audiences

TICKETS GO ON SALE TODAY at 9AM AT WWW.THEGREENESPACE.ORG. The full schedule is below.

The August Wilson American Century Cycle recording series has assembled an artistic team composed almost entirely of "Wilson Warriors," directors and actors who have worked on an August Wilson production previously -- including some who worked with Wilson personally -- to participate in this unprecedented project. The recordings will preserve the musicality and style of African American cultural expression that Wilson so eloquently captured.

Some of the foremost Wilson interpreters have signed on to direct, including Tony nominee Kenny Leon, Tony winner Phylicia Rashad, Michele Shay, and Marion McClinton, as well as close Wilson collaborators Tony winner SANTIAGO-HUDSON and Tony nominee Stephen McKinley Henderson, who also serves as the Associate Artistic Director of the project.

The readings will feature many actors reprising the roles they performed on stage, including Tony Award winner Leslie Uggams as Ruby in King Hedley II; Drama Desk and Obie Award winner Anthony Chisholm (Oz, Premium Rush) as Fielding in Jitney and Elder Barlow in Radio Golf; Brandon Dirden (The Big C, House of Payne) in his Obie Award-winning role as Boy Willie in The Piano Lesson;Russell Hornsby (Grimm, Shameless) as King Hedley in King Hedley II; Emmy Award winner Keith David (Crash, Armageddon) as Seth Holly in Joe Turner's Come and Gone; Ebony Joann as Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom; Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Canewell in Seven Guitars; John Earl Jelks as Sterling Johnson in Radio Golf; Roslyn Ruff (Rachel Getting Married, The Help) as Berniece in The Piano Lesson, among others.

Other Wilson actors will take on new roles, including Tony Award nominee S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order, Lincoln) as Bertha in Joe Turner's Come and Gone and Wendell Pierce (Treme, The Wire) as Red Carter in Seven Guitars.

Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Person of Interest) and Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order, Rent) will make their Wilson debuts as Molly Cunningham inJoe Turner's Come and Gone and Lyons in Fences, respectively.

The readings will be scored with original music by Grammy-nominated composer Bill Sims, Jr. and other composers who worked with Wilson. The recordings will be audio produced by award-winning writer, librettist and audio theater director, Arthur Yorinks.

The Ford Foundation is the lead philanthropic funder of the August Wilson American Century Cycle Recording Project.

"This landmark recording of August Wilson's American Century Cycle is the kind of project we hoped for when we launched The Greene Space five years ago," said Laura Walker, CEO and President, New York Public Radio. "It's an honor that the August Wilson Estate has placed such confidence in us, and we are grateful to the Lincoln Motor Company and the Ford Foundation for their support on this project."

"It has taken years to get to this moment," said Indira Etwaroo, Executive Producer, who conceptualized this project and worked with Constanza Romero, Executor of the Estate and Wilson's widow to secure the rights to record all 10 plays. "Wilson's American Century Cycle captures 100 years of African American life through the searing, poetic, personal stories of everyday people. The significance of it all coming to fruition during the year of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington is not lost on any of us. In recording these works, we are chronicling the history of a whole people, as written by a man who understood the power of telling a story."

"It's an extraordinary responsibility to lead this historic undertaking of documenting and preserving for generations to come not just the words, but the sound of August's majestic ode to African American life in the 20th Century," said Santiago-Hudson. "For those of us who had the privilege to work on a Wilson project while he was alive, it was life-changing. Stephen (McKinley Henderson) and I are deeply touched that so many who knew and collaborated with Wilson have stepped forward to join us on this extraordinary tribute to our hero. He was a man, a writer, an artist who forever changed the landscape of American theater."

"Lincoln's spirit is rooted in individuality and creativity," said Shawn Thompson, Lincoln Multicultural Marketing Manager. "This partnership allows us to continue in our efforts to celebrate visionaries and create a like-minded community. We recently announced the Lincoln Reimagine Project as a way to collaborate with, sponsor and support culturally progressive individuals and their vision for making old new again through a celebration of all things reinvented. Our involvement with The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space on the August Wilson American Century Cycle readings is yet another opportunity for us to continue in our efforts while also introducing our new premium midsize sedan, the 2013 MKZ to this audience."

Cultural partners from around the country include Yale Repertory Theatre (New Haven, CT), The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York, NY), Signature Theatre (New York, NY), Two Rivers Theatre (Red Bank, NJ), True Colors Theatre Company (Atlanta, GA), Seattle Repertory Theater Company (Seattle, WA), and Portland Stage (Portland, ME).

New York City Department of Education's Theater Department will partner with The Greene Space to enable public school students to experience the first recording sessions of these readings. Many will also participate in a pre-show workshop to explore Wilson's contributions to the American theater canon.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos