A.V. GETS A PIANO LESSON.Byline: Romy Jacobson Daily News Staff Writer Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson August Wilson (April 27, 1945—October 2, 2005) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright. Wilson's singular achievement and literary legacy is a cycle of ten plays—two of which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama—dubbed "The Pittsburgh Cycle". has ``a gift for engineering plays in which people have no choice but to sit up and notice,'' says James Goins. ``He requires you to listen and learn from the human triumphs and sufferings. What more can a director ask for?'' Goins directs Wilson's ``The Piano Lesson,'' which opens Cedar Street Theatre's 20th season tonight at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center A performing arts center, often abbreviated PAC, is a multi-use performance space that can be adapted for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. . ``The Piano Lesson'' explores a Depression era family's conflict over whether to sell a treasured antique piano to buy land, and won Wilson his second Pulitzer Prize Pulitzer Prize Any of a series of annual prizes awarded by Columbia University for outstanding public service and achievement in American journalism, letters, and music. Fellowships are also awarded. . He first came to national attention in 1984 with ``Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.'' His next play, ``Fences,'' which starred James Earl Jones Earl Jones may refer to:
Wilson's other Broadway productions include ``Joe Turner's Come and Gone Joe Turner's Come and Gone is a play by August Wilson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright. The original working title of the play was Mill Hand's Lunch Bucket, the title of a painting by Romare Bearden. ,'' ``Two Trains Running,'' and, ``Seven Guitars,'' his most recent work. ``The Piano Lesson'' set is sparse, and the actors have been given more freedom to explore their characters, according to director Goins. ``What I wanted to do this time around, I wanted to focus more on the written word,'' said Goins. ``I wanted to draw the audience to the actors. I focused more towards the dialogue in the story.'' Cast members include Jesselyn Dickinson as Berniece, David Moore as Boy Willie and Etherero Akim as Lymon. Also featured are Sidney Saddler as Doaker, Winter Lamon as Maretha, Ernie Reaux as Avery, Ronald Jennings as Wining Boy and Tamry McCauley as Grace. ``They're a wonderful group of people to work with,'' said Goins. ``It's been an honor and a pleasure. They've helped me bring the best out in them.'' Goins, a member of the Los Angeles Black Playwrights and whose credits include original compositions for productions at the Mark Taper Annex, the Long Beach PlayHouse and California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) is a campus of the California State University system. It is located in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. , wrote some music for ``The Piano Lesson.'' ``I wanted to bring an essence of film by actually scoring certain scenes of the play to give it more of a filmatic feel,'' said Goins. Goins made his directing debut with ``Barefoot in the Park'' during his senior year in high school. Some of his other directing credits include ``A Raisin in the Sun A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The story is based upon Hansberry's own experiences growing up in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood. ,'' ``Godspell,'' ``The Colored Museum,'' ``Androcles and the Lion,'' ``Pippin Pippin. For Frankish rulers thus named, use Pepin. A multimedia game and Internet machine from Apple that used the PowerPC architecture and a limited version of the Mac OS. ,'' and ``Taming of the Shrew shrew, common name for the small, insectivorous mammals of the family Soricidae, related to the moles. Shrews include the smallest mammals; the smallest shrews are under 2 in. (5.1 cm) long, excluding the tail, and the largest are about 6 in. (15 cm) long. .'' ``The Piano Lesson'' will play two performances only, at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday. Tickets are $15 and are available at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center box office, 750 W. Lancaster Blvd. Tickets are also available by phone by calling (805) 723-5950. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1--Color only in AV edition) Wining Boy, played by Ronald Jennings, rehearses for ``The Piano Lesson.'' (2--Color only in AV edition) Berniece, played by Jesselyn Dickinson, left, Doaker (Sidney Saddler) and Avery (Ernie Reaux), go through a scene. (3--Ran in AV edition only) Wining Boy (Ronald Jennings), left, Boy Willie (David Moore), Berniece (Jesselyn Dickinson), and Doaker (Sidney Saddler) toast. Jeff Goldwater/Daily News |
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