Gallery Players to Present August Wilson's THE PIANO LESSON

Gallery Players continues its 49th season with August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award.

The Piano Lesson forms part of August Wilson's great literary legacy, the epic 10 play Pittsburgh cycle which traces African-American history from the beginning to the end of the 20th century. The Piano Lesson is fourth in the series. Set in Pittsburgh in 1936, the great migration that brought thousands of African-Americans north is well under way. The play depicts the pain of being chained to the past and the tragedy of those who turn their backs on history to embrace a future they believe will be free. Almost all the characters in The Piano Lesson are in an uneasy transition, pushing forward into an uncertain future even as they are tugged back by the ghosts of the past. Poetic in its detail and symphonic in its breadth, The Piano Lesson depicts the comic and tragic aspects of the African-American experience in the 20th century. The play has an uncanny resonance to today's America.

The Piano Lesson opens Saturday, October 24th and runs for 12 performances through Sunday, November 8th, 2015. Performances will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00PM and Sunday afternoons at 3:00PM. The second and third Saturdays (October 31st and November 7th) will also have matinees at 2PM.

Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for seniors and children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased 24/7 online at www.gallleryplayers.com or by calling Ovationtix at 212 352 3101 (phone hours 9-9 weekdays, 10-6 weekends). The Piano Lesson is an approved Actors' Equity Association showcase.

Bringing The Piano Lesson to the Gallery stage is Producer, Dominic Cuskern; Associate Producer, Justine McLaughlin; Director, Mark Gallagher; Scenic Design, Tyler Hampton; Lighting Design, Kate Bashore; Costume Design, Heather Carey; Properties Design, Roxanne Goodby; Sound Design, Jorge Olivo; Production Stage Manager, Marisa Kilgallen; Assistant Stage Manager, Timothy Sheridan; and an outstanding acting ensemble including: Charles Browning*; Christopher Chukwueke; Morgan Sidney Hallums; Natasha Murray; Kim Sullivan*; Jahi Kassa Taquara; Ruby Thomas and James S. Washington*. (*denotes member of Actors' Equity Association)

Following the Sunday, October 25th matinee, the audience is invited to Gallery Talks, a brief, complimentary post-show discussion with a special guest.