Mark Clayton Southers presents
The first play in Solos … a performance series
at Madison Arts and Entertainment Center
Reginald Wilson in the award-winning one-man show
Sugar Ray
Written by Laurence Holder
November 8th-9th 2025
Madison Arts Center Cabaret
A biographical solo play about Sugar Ray Robinson, often regarded as the greatest boxer of all time. Star Reginald Wilson received the 2016 AUDELCO award for Best Solo Performance in this role.
Reviews: Berkshire Fine Arts, NY Times, WABC 7 Here And Now, New York Theater Review, Black Star News, Woman Around Town, Theater Scene, Most Powerful Play Of 2022
This production runs about 80 minutes.
About Reginald Wilson
Reginald “Reggie” Wilson, a native of Tallahassee, Florida, launched his professional career in New York City as an intern with Woodie King Jr. at The New Federal Theatre. He received the AUDELCO Award for Lead Actor for his powerful performance as Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Wilson later portrayed Sugar Ray Robinson in Laurence Holder’s Sugar Ray, earning another AUDELCO for Best Solo Performance. In 2024, he won two additional AUDELCO Awards—Lead Actor and Best Supporting Actor—and was honored with a Special Achievement Award.
His New York stage credits include Blues for Mister Charlie, Stockholm Savings, Black Angels Over Tuskegee, Haiti’s Children of God, The Whistle in Mississippi, and The Meeting. He served as Assistant Director for NEC’s award-winning remount of A Soldier’s Play, directed Dearly Departed at Mars Hill University, and appeared in Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau in Portland, Oregon. Wilson has also collaborated extensively with playwright Layon Gray in productions such as Searching for Willie Lynch and Cowboy, winning BroadwayWorld’s Best Supporting Actor Award.
As a playwright, Wilson has penned Scrambled Eggs, Da Rapture, and Platinum Grilled and Spirit Filled, works that confront domestic violence with honesty and urgency. He holds a BA from Florida A&M University and an MFA from the University of Florida and is represented by Gabrielle Holder at Gill Talent Group.