On the surface, Norm Nixon and Constanza Romero might not seem to have much in common. But you might be surprised.
The most obvious similarity between the two is their Pittsburgh connection. Nixon, a two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, played his college ball at Duquesne University, and Romero, the widow of famed Steel City playwright August Wilson, spent quite a bit of time in her late husband’s hometown and is currently the executive director of August Wilson Legacy LLC, previously known as the August Wilson Estate.
Here’s a fun fact: Nixon is a big fan of Wilson’s work and was an investor in the 1988 Broadway production of his play “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” Nixon and Romero will finally get a chance to meet and chat about their shared reverence for Wilson and Pittsburgh Saturday during “An Evening With the Stars,” the first major event being held at Duquesne’s recently opened UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
“It’s always great to come back,” Nixon told the Post-Gazette. “I like what [Duquesne] President [Ken] Gormley is doing with the school. I like that the arena’s named after Chuck Cooper. I like that there’s a whole thing built around August Wilson. For Duquesne to be out front keeping his legacy and work alive, I’m proud of that. It makes it an extra special weekend for me.”
The 7 p.m. event is free and members of the Duquesne community can register themselves and guests at www.myduquesne.duq.edu. Nixon will give opening remarks along with his wife, legendary actor, dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen. The program will also feature a musical and dramatic tribute to Wilson, plus Romero receiving an honorary degree from Duquesne.
“Coming back to Pittsburgh, there is not one single step I take in this city without it speaking to me about August,” she said. “It’s like I’m one tiny bit closer to August. His memory, our time here, his stories about Pittsburgh. It means a lot to me to have this connection now with Duquesne University and August Wilson LLC.”
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse was inaugurated in February when Duquesne’s men’s basketball team faced off against Dayton. The former A.J. Palumbo Center was renamed after Chuck Cooper, a Pittsburgh native, Duquesne alumnus and the first Black player to be drafted by an NBA team.
Romero will be joined by guests Stephen McKinley Henderson, who played Jim Bono in the 2016 “Fences” film adaptation and whom Romero described as “one of the best Wilsonian actors in the world,” along with Callie Holley and Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama student Gerardo Navarro. Both participated in the 2018 August Wilson Monologue Competition and were featured in the 2020 Netflix documentary “Giving Voice.”
She said that this event has been in the works for two years but was delayed repeatedly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Romero has had a lot to do in the meantime, like helping with the 2020 film adaptation of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and working on Denzel’s Washington’s plans for a movie version of “The Piano Lesson,” which she said is “purportedly the one that will be happening next.”
On Saturday, Romero and Duquesne will be “sharing August Wilson in this very unique way” that will include photos of their time together, snippets of his plays and music that meant a lot to the playwright. She commended Gormley for his efforts “to keep August’s Pittsburghness still alive in people’s consciousnesses.” And she’s excited to have Holley and Navarro on hand representing young Wilson fans, with Navarro set to read one of the playwright’s unpublished poems.
“When Ken Gormley said, ‘Who do you want to invite?’ I was delighted to say, ‘Hey, let’s bring out some of the new generation of people who are going to take the work forward,’” Romero said. “In their hands is the future of the August Wilson legacy.”
For Nixon, it’s wild seeing Duquesne basketball on a revamped, on-campus arena. He played his home games as a Duke at the Civic Arena, which he said was a “disadvantage because we didn’t have a home court.” Nixon said that the new and improved Cooper Fieldhouse is a great addition to Duquesne basketball, but the next step is to “have a winning product on the court to get the energy up and the students involved.”
Both he and Allen have also been busy lately, with Allen becoming the first Black woman to receive the Television Academy’s Governors Award at the 2021 Emmys Sunday in Los Angeles.
“She’s supporting me and supporting my alma mater,” he said. “It’s a big thing for Duquesne. It’s great to be lending my little name to support this. ... I felt like I grew up in Pittsburgh. I had a lot of support and people pulling for me, and Duquesne was a big part of that.”
His name will be back in the spotlight soon thanks to HBO’s upcoming drama about the 1980s Lakers in which his son, DeVaughn Nixon, will portray him. “Just don’t make me look too stupid,” he said he told DeVaughn.
That’s not something he ever has to worry about in Pittsburgh.
“Pittsburgh is a special place for me,” Nixon said. “It’s where I grew up, and I’m looking forward to spending a little time there.”
Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxelburgh.
First Published: September 24, 2021, 5:05 p.m.