August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson" on Shore Stage

August Wilson, author of The Piano Lesson

The Theatre Program at Shore Cultural Centre will continue its presentation of August Wilson’s American Century Cycle with a readers theatre production of The Piano Lesson, the fourth play in Wilson’s highly acclaimed work, Monday, December 11 at 7:00pm in Shore Auditorium. The first three plays of the cycle were presented by Shore in September, October and November.

�Wilson’s American Century Cycle is a series of ten plays illuminating the joys and struggles of the African-American experience in the United States during the 20th century—decade by decade. Considered to be Wilson’s greatest contribution to American theatre, all but one of the plays is set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh. The Cycle includes such well known plays as Fences (recently a �movie starring Denzel Washington), The Piano Lesson and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

The Piano Lesson focuses on the conflict between a sister and brother over whether to sell a piano that was acquired during slavery through the sale of two of the family’s ancestors. The play highlights the conflict between two ways of coping with a painful past.

The cast is made up of some of Cleveland's finest actors and includes local television and radio personality, Kim Williams. 

Terrence Spivey, Artistic Associate of the Theatre Program at Shore and former Artistic Director at Karamu Playhouse, will be directing The Piano Lesson. Spivey has directed many Cleveland area productions of� Wilson’s plays such as Fences, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Radio Golf, and the autobiographical How I Learned What I Learned at Shore Cultural Centre. "It is our goal at Shore to present many of the plays in Wilson’s American Century Cycle. A readers series presentation of his cycle has never been done in Northeast Ohio and only a few done in this country since Wilson's death. The backing and encouragement of the Wilson estate makes this an important theatrical event, particularly in Cleveland. "

General Admission tickets for The Piano Lesson are $12 and available on line at www.shoreculturalcentre.com and at the Shore administrative office, Room 143. Call 216-289-8578 for more information.

The Piano Lesson and the American Century Cycle are presented with the permission of the Wilson Estate and by special arrangement with Samuel L. French, Inc.