Black Theatre Troupe set to perform “The Piano Lesson”

Local Arizona group Black Theatre Troupe is set to perform August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson,” a Pulitzer Prize winning play about a family attempting to come to terms with the past.

For 50 years, Black Theatre Troupe has been a home for Black creatives to express themselves. In 2013, the Black Theatre Troupe was recognized for being one of the longest, continuously operating Black theatre companies in the U.S.

The Black Theatre Troupe aren’t strangers to playwright August Wilson’s works.

Last season, they received an award from the August Wilson Foundation and the Pittsburgh Gazette for having portrayed the entirety of August Wilson’s 10 plays, known as The Century Cycle or The Pittsburgh Cycle, which chronicles the lives of Black America through every decade in the 20th Century, a feat which has only been done by five other acting companies in the country.

“Our audiences really enjoy August Wilson,” said Director of the Black Theatre Troupe, Patdro Harris, who joined Horizon to discuss the show with us. With Harris was also David Hemphill, Executive Director of the troupe. “He is such a rich writer,” said Harris. “It’s really provocative. You leave there wanting to talk about what you’ve just seen, and he evokes that kind of spirit within people.”

“The last time I saw ‘The Piano Lesson,’ I sat next to August Wilson,” Hemphill said. “So this is just a dream come true for me.”

Production for the play is currently set for Feb. 2 to 18, 2024. Visit their website for details.