Ruben Santiago-Hudson, a prominent actor and director, has maintained a close artistic relationship with the late playwright August Wilson, whose work has profoundly shaped American theater. Wilson, best known for his ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle, entrusted Santiago-Hudson with carrying forward his legacy, particularly after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer in 2005. Months before Wilson’s death, he asked Santiago-Hudson to take on his autobiographical one-man show, “How I Learned What I Learned.” Initially hesitant, citing fear of embodying Wilson himself, Santiago-Hudson was reassured by the playwright to tell his story authentically in his own voice.

Since Wilson’s passing, Santiago-Hudson, now 69, has become a key interpreter and steward of Wilson’s works, having acted in, directed, adapted, or produced each of the major plays in the Cycle. In 2013, Santiago-Hudson’s performance in “How I Learned What I Learned” brought the solo show to New York for the first time. He has also been recognized with Tony nominations, including for his role as Bynum in the Broadway revival of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” and for directing the 2017 Tony-winning revival of “Jitney.” He contributed the screenplay for the 2020 film adaptation of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and has been adapting “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” for a forthcoming project.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of “Seven Guitars,” a play set in 1940s Pittsburgh about Floyd “Schoolboy” Barton, a blues musician striving to reclaim his life after imprisonment. Santiago-Hudson is directing a revival of the play at Lincoln Center Theater, continuing a legacy shared with Lloyd Richards, the director who originally discovered Wilson and mentored Santiago-Hudson. Santiago-Hudson’s connection to Richards and Wilson deepened his understanding of both art and life, experiences he imparts to new generations involved with Wilson’s work.

Santiago-Hudson recalls his early impressions of Wilson’s plays, which reflected the lives and environments familiar to him from his upbringing in Lackawanna, New York. He describes a deeply personal relationship with Wilson, one marked by creative debates and mutual respect. For example, during rehearsals of “Seven Guitars,” he challenged Wilson’s direction about a character fight, asserting his intimate knowledge of the character’s physicality and psychology. Despite occasional disagreements, Wilson responded by creating roles tailored to Santiago-Hudson.

For Santiago-Hudson, the essence of Wilson’s work lies in its blues roots—the music that documents the African American experience. He encourages actors to listen closely to blues musicians such as Skip James and Floyd Jones to grasp the historical and emotional currents that flow through Wilson’s plays.

Santiago-Hudson keeps personal mementos of Wilson close during performances, including an ink pen given by Wilson’s wife, Constanza Romero, and other items symbolizing their artistic bond. He describes a ritual of connecting with the spirits of Wilson and Richards during performances, underscoring the ongoing influence of these figures on his work.

Looking ahead, Santiago-Hudson acknowledges that several Wilson characters remain to be explored, including Holly Two Kings, Memphis, and Holloway, emphasizing the enduring nature of Wilson’s vast theatrical universe. Meanwhile, he and his Lincoln Center Theater company—including actors with deep histories in Wilson’s plays—prepare to bring new life to “Seven Guitars,” carrying forward the artistic and cultural legacy that Wilson left behind.