Two River Theater has revealed casting for their upcoming revival of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama The Piano Lesson, directed by Francois Battiste (Hospice, Broke-ology).
The production, which launches the theatre’s 2026-2027 season, continues Two River’s commitment to staging all 10 plays in Wilson’s Century Cycle. Previews will begin on September 12, with opening night September 18. The run will continue through October 4 in the Joan and Robert Rechnitz Theater.
Set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District in 1936, The Piano Lesson follows a brother and sister who are embroiled in a battle over a family heirloom: a piano hand-carved by an enslaved ancestor.
The production will star Elaán Battiste as Maretha (When We Were Colored, 101 Dalmatians), J. Bernard Calloway as Wining Boy (The Ms. Pat Show, Jitney), Arden Carethers as Grace, Brian D. Coats as Avery (Dog Day Afternoon), Joshua Echebiri as Lymon (A Doll’s House), Brandon Micheal Hall as Boy Willie (The Mayor, God Friended Me), Keith Randolph Smith as Doaker Charles (King Hedley II, Wine in the Wilderness), and Danielle Moné Truitt as Berniece (Law & Order: Organized Crime, Rebel).
The creative team will include scenic designer Junghyun Georgia Lee, costume designer Karen Perry, lighting designer Yuki Link, sound designer Megumi Katayama, wig hair and makeup Designer Cici Campbell, music supervisor and composer Ulysses Owens, music director Matt Grandy, fight director and intimacy director Teniece Divya Johnson, production stage manager Kevin Jinghong Zhu, and assistant stage manager Matthew Rohan.