Des Moines Playhouse
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kill Date: Feb. 19, 2023
Subject: The Des Moines Playhouse and Pyramid Theatre Company Present: August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
Contact: Lee Ann Bakros, Playhouse Marketing & Public Relations Director, 515-974-5358
The Des Moines Playhouse and Pyramid Theatre Company present August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, Feb. 3-19, 2023. Tickets may be purchased online at dmplayhouse.com and by phone at 515.277.6261. This production is sponsored by Prairie Meadows.
The Piano Lesson is set in 1936. Boy Willie arrives in Pittsburgh, full of aspirations. He has an opportunity to buy some land but needs to come up with the money quick. He wants to sell an old piano that has been in his family for generations, but he shares ownership with his sister, Berniece. An antique covered with incredible carvings that detail the family’s history, Berniece has already rejected several offers for the piano. Boy Willie tries to persuade his sister that the past is the past, but Berniece is more formidable than he anticipated.
The Piano Lesson cast includes Clifton Antoine, Ryan Collier, Colo Chanel, Tiffany Johnson, Emmett Phillips, Daron Richardson, Aaron Smith, and Larryah Travis. The show is directed by Ken-Matt Martin with scenic design by Sydney Lynne, costume design by Angela Lampe, lighting design by John Pomeroy, and sound design by Gabriel Clausen. This is the third collaboration between Pyramid Theatre Company and The Des Moines Playhouse following Beaufield Berry’s Buffalo Women in June 2022 and A Love Offering in June 2021.
The production has three theme nights planned.
Thursday and Friday, Feb. 9-10, 2023: Students, student organizations, and families
Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023: Black Greek Letter Organizations and Black Organizations
Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023: Senior Adults and Ray Society/OLLI
Pyramid Theatre Company (PTC) provides a gateway to the arts for the Des Moines community by illuminating the presence of Black artists in the theatre canon and providing a means of artistic expression to emerging Black voices. The company commits itself to the tenet of Sankofa, a word in the Akan language of Ghana meaning "return to retrieve." With this in mind, PTC offers works firmly rooted in the lessons of the past in order to serve needs of the present.
The Des Moines Playhouse mission, as one of Iowa's largest and oldest producing theatres, is to create extraordinary, shared experiences through live theatre. Located at the 42nd Street exit of I-235, the theatre has presented a full season of shows since 1919 and also offers a wide variety of educational experiences including classes for ages 4 to adult, theatre trips to New York, and volunteer opportunities onstage and backstage.
August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson Performances Feb. 3-19, 2023
7:30 PM Wednesdays-Saturdays
2:00 PM Sundays
The IRIS Sensation Team will provide audio description for the 2:00 PM, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, performance. The Playhouse can provide for those who have the need for ASL translations with advance notice.
August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson Tickets
Tickets start at $29
To purchase: Dmplayhouse.com, 515-277-6261, or Des Moines Playhouse ticket office, 831 42nd St, Des Moines, IA 50312
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