August Wilson’s Piano Lesson
Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, “The Piano Lesson” follows the Charles family living in the Doaker Charles household. At the heart of the story is a family heirloom—the piano—which has deep significance and history for the family.
The play explores the conflict between siblings, Boy Willie and Berniece, who each hold contrasting views about the fate of the piano. Boy Willie, a sharecropper, wishes to sell the piano in order to purchase Sutter's land, the same land where their ancestors once labored as slaves. In contrast, Berniece insists on keeping the piano, valuing it as a symbol of their family’s legacy as evidenced by the carved faces that tell stories of their heritage.
