August Wilson's THE PIANO LESSON Comes to the Everyman Theatre

Everyman Theatre will kick off its 2025/2026 season with a powerful production of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, The Piano Lesson. Directed by Everyman Theatre's Associate Artistic Director and Resident Company Member Paige Hernandez.   The production runs from August 31 to September 28, 2025, and is the fourth play of The Baltimore August Wilson Celebration, a city-wide initiative that unites 10 local theater companies to present all of Wilson’s American Century Cycle of plays in chronological order of the decade they’re set in.  

Set in 1930s Pittsburgh, August Wilson's The Piano Lesson is a luminous drama that weaves history and spirituality together. It centers on a family and their antique piano; a cherished heirloom intricately carved with the history of their ancestors. The play’s central conflict unfolds between a brother, Boy Willie, who is determined to sell the piano to buy the very land his family once worked on, and his sister, Berniece, who insists on keeping the piano as a spiritual testament to their past. Their struggle explores heritage, memory, and the sacrifices needed to forge a new future. 

August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson features a dynamic and gifted group of actors, including RJ Brown (Primary Trust) as Boy Willie, Payton Crosier as Maretha, Louis E. Davis (Primary Trust) as Lymon Everyman Resident Company Member Jefferson A. Russell (Primary Trust) as Doaker, Chinai Routté (POTUS, or Behind Every Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive) as Berniece, KenYatta Rogers (Topdog/ Underdog) as Wining Boy, Mecca Rogers as Maretha, and Mecca Verdell as Grace. The creative team, led by Hernandez, also includes Resident Company Member Daniel Ettinger (Scenic Design), Resident Company Member David Burdick (Costume Design), Alberto Segarra (Lighting Design), David Remedios (Sound Design), Denise O'Brien (Wig Design), Gerard Alex Taylor (Fight/Intimacy), Resident Company Member Robin Quick (Dramaturgy), and Hannah Jones (Stage Management). 

"I am beyond excited to bring this monumental work to life and to be a part of The Baltimore August Wilson Celebration," says director Paige Hernandez, “This play asks us to consider what we inherit and what we pass on, and it’s a story that resonates deeply with themes of family, legacy, and the struggle to find one’s place between the past and the future. We can't wait for our audience to experience this powerful, timeless work.” 

Since its founding 35 years ago, Everyman Theatre has demonstrated a commitment to the works of August Wilson, staging several of his acclaimed plays. The theatre has produced Fences twice, first in 2001 and again in 2016, showcasing its enduring relevance. Other productions include Gem of the Ocean in 2008 and Radio Golf in 2019. These productions are a testament to Everyman's dedication to presenting "great stories, well told" and its role in bringing the powerful voice of August Wilson to Baltimore audiences. 

Everyman Theatre's Founding Artistic Director Vincent M. Lancisi says, "We are honored to open our 35th season with this masterpiece and to be a part of the city’s extraordinary August Wilson Celebration."