The UofL Theatre Arts Department will present “The Piano Lesson”—August Wilson’s Pulitzer-Prize winning play—Nov. 18 to 22 at The Playhouse Theatre.
Set in the Depression, “The Piano Lesson” follows siblings Berniece and Boy Willie, who have moved from Mississippi to Pittsburgh, as they argue about a family piano they have brought to their new home. Boy Willie wants to sell the piano and buy the land where his ancestors were enslaved. Berniece on the other hand seems to recognize the value of the piano, as it illustrates carved images of their grandfather’s wife and son.
Baron Kelly, director of U of L’s African American Theatre program, has acted in half of Wilson’s 10-play cycle in major regional theatres and will be directing the “The Piano Lesson.