THE PIANO LESSON - Signature Theatre Company Auditions

All roles are available unless otherwise specified.

DOAKER
African-American male, 50-65. Lives with his niece and her daughter. Works full-time as a railroad cook, but for all intents and purposes is retired from the world. Believes yearning for other than what you have only brings trouble and pain.

BOY WILLIE
African-American male, 25-35. Berniece's brother. Has an infectious grin and boyishness. Brash, impulsive, talkative and somewhat crude. Wants what he wants and won't apologize for it. Hungry for the chance to earn his fair share and live his own life.

LYMON
African-American male, 25-35. Boy Willie's partner. Talks little, and then with a straightforwardness that is often disarming. Dreams of finding the right woman.

MARETHA
African-American female, plays 11 years old. Berniece's daughter. Sweet, obedient. An innocent.

AVERY
African-American male, 30s-40s. Recently became a preacher, looking to open his own church and marry Berniece. Honest, ambitious, has taken to the city like a fish to water, finding in it opportunities for advancement that did not exist in the rural south. Has found purpose in a life of God.

WINING BOY
African-American male, 45-65. Doaker's brother. Tries to present the image of a successful musician and gambler, but his music, clothes, and manner all feel old. Lives with an odd mixture of zest and sorrow. His wife has died recently, which has left him at sea.

GRACE
African-American female, 20s. Sweet, pretty, direct, with an easy way about her.

BERNIECE
CAST. Auditioning performers will be considered as possible (emergency) replacements, should any become necessary. African-American female, 30s. Doaker's neice. Still in mourning for her husband after three years. Hard-headed, with defenses up. Haunted by the past, blames Boy Willie for her husband's death.