In the fall of 2007, I was cast in the University of Central Florida's production of The Piano Lesson. My thesis will examine my performance in the role of Grace, as well as understudying the role of Berniece under the direction of Professor Belinda Boyd. In addition to the performance components, my thesis materials will include historical and cultural character research and a reflective journal documenting my rehearsal and production process. My character research and journal will address questions about the characters "choices" and the relationship of their environment to views of personal responsibility and obligations in the play. I will examine the characters' relationships and situations in the play, investigating some of the decisions that these characters make in response to their cultural and social landscapes. The second part of my thesis will include research on three additional female characters from August Wilson's dramatic canon: Aunt Ester Tyler from Gem of the Ocean, Ma Rainey from Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and Rose from Fences, which will inform my character explorations of Grace and Berniece, and the choices that I make during the rehearsal process in developing their journeys. By reading other plays by Wilson, I endeavor to deepen my understanding of the struggles of African-American women in the twentieth century, and explore how the social and economic status of black women was affected by America's changing political and social climate over several decades. In addition, I will document how my visceral experience of performing the roles of Grace and Berniece relates to my intellectual process of exploring the journeys of Aunt Ester Tyler, Ma Rainey, and Rose.

This document is an illustrated journey of my process as scenic designer for August Wilson's The Piano Lesson. produced by the University of Central Florida’s Conservatory Theater Program. The production opened on November 8, 2007 in the Backbox theatre on the university's main campus and closed on November 18, running for a total of eight performances. I begin by examining my role as the scenic designer for The Piano Lesson and follow with an explanation of experiences that were a result of the assignment. Through this process, I present a script analysis of the play, describe the design process through conversations with the artistic team, present visual research and follow it through "the build" process, to its final presentation on the UCF stage. As a whole, this paper is a comment on the potential that theater has to bring different cultures together and how I, a twenty-two year old white male, could connect with August Wilson's play The Piano Lesson1 which is rooted in the African American culture. Race is a major component that I explore throughout my reflection of my experience with The Piano Lesson. This paper also documents personal experiences that I had as a direct result of working on The Piano Lesson at the University of Central Florida. I document winning the National Award for Scenic Design in 2008 from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for my design. I also report about the summer I spent at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, where The Piano Lesson was originally work-shopped in 1986. Finally, I write about my visit to the Hill District in Pittsburgh, PA, where August Wilson grew up and where The Piano Lesson is set Each of these experiences are connected to my initial assignment at the University of Central Florida as scenic designer for August Wilson's, The Piano Lesson.