Winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best New Play in 1990 and Pulitzer Prize, The Piano Lesson is a story of living with the ghosts of one’s past. It illuminates the dilemma of African Americans who were faced with a legacy that suggested opportunities for the future yet kept those opportunities from materializing. The drama’s earthiness, incorporation of folk music, and the role of ghosts--all contribute to the play’s appeal.

The play is set in Pittsburgh in 1936 and takes place in the home of Doaker Charles, the uncle of Berniece and her brother Boy Willie. A 137-year-old piano is the central symbol of the play. It is ornately carved to depict the history of their slave ancestors. It was carved by their great-grandfather, a slave, and has come into their family at the cost of their father’s life.