SEPTEMBER 27 – OCTOBER 20
THE PIANO TEACHER
BY DOROTHY DITTRICH
The Piano Teacher is a Governor General’s award-winning play about loss, love, friendship, and the healing power of music. When classical pianist Erin experiences a devastating family tragedy, she finds herself unable to play music or even touch a piano. Navigating through the traumatic loss of the life she knew, she meets an unconventional piano teacher, Elaine, who gives her new hope for the future.
“A beautiful meditation on grief, loss,
and the healing power of music.”
” … a beautiful, intelligent exploration of the power of music and friendship. I was moved by it and loved almost every minute.”
Jo Ledingham.ca
Winner of The Governor General’s Award
for English-Language Drama
Winner of the Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Original Script
Recommended for ages 13+
(some language and scenes discussing death or dying)
Written by local playwright Dorothy Dittrich, The Piano Teacher was originally a 2017 Arts Club Theatre Silver Commission and opened to critical acclaim. Vancouver Presents shared “The Piano Teacher remains a beautiful, graceful and incredibly moving piece of theatre, filled with maturity and thoughtfulness.” Winner of The Governor General’s Award for English-Language Drama and Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Original Script, The Piano Teacher is sure to be a memorable experience for theatre-goers in Chemainus.
When classical pianist Erin (Rebecca deBoer) experiences a devastating family tragedy, she finds herself unable to play music or even touch a piano. Navigating through the traumatic loss of the life she knew, she meets an unconventional piano teacher, Elaine (Erin Ormond), who gives her new hope for the future. Rounding out the story is a contractor, Tom (Victor Hunter), who brings a new perspective and love of music into the equation.
According to a Georgia Straight review of The Piano Teacher’s world premiere, “Dittrich’s unadorned dialogue is refreshingly direct: the characters speak and listen intently to one another, usually without subtext. It’s quietly riveting, as is the gentle progression Elaine uses to help Erin overcome her fear of the piano…”.
The Piano Teacher is a story of loss, love, friendship, and the healing power of music. It was the arts we collectively turned to in 2020 when the world shut down and this story illuminates how creative expression allows us to survive difficult times. Join the Chemainus Theatre Festival this fall and rediscover the connections we find as a community. Whether you are a classical music aficionado, took a few piano lessons as a child, or can get lost in a song on the radio, The Piano Teacher will touch your heart and stay with you long after the applause.
Sarah Rodgers returns to Chemainus Theatre Festival as Director. If you caught her recent production of Gaslight you will know she is a master at storytelling. Not only is Dorothy Dittrich the playwright, but she will also be assisting in sound design for this production. Rounding out the creative team supplying the behind-the-scenes magic is Hans Saefkow as Set Designer, Hannah Case as Costume Designer, and Harika Xu as lighting designer. Gina Moe will be managing the stage and assisted by apprentice stage manager Lourdes’s Sumners.
The magic of friendship and music at the heart of The Piano Teacher
Governor General’s Award-winning play comes to Chemainus Theatre Sept. 26 to Oct, 20
Tim Collins, Monday Magazine,
In the play, Erin meets an unconventional piano teacher, Elaine, who guides her through her loss to find new hope for the future.
One reviewer recently described the story as “a beautiful meditation on grief, loss and healing power of music,” but Dittrich says the play is also an examination of the power of friendship.
“Elaine is not the teacher you might expect in this scenario as she isn’t a classical teacher. There are an incredibly many ways to teach and Elaine manages to approach it from a different perspective,” Dittrich says.
“I was trying to connect the teacher with someone who looks at music in a different way. Of course, music is interesting in that it’s both technical and emotional and this teacher found a way to reach Erin on both levels. In the end they are more colleagues than anything else.”
Dittrich knows more about the subject than most as she’s not only a playwright, but also a musician.
The Piano Teacher was first produced by the Arts Club in Vancouver in 2017 after which it went on tour. In 2022 it won the Governor General’s Award and was revived this past February in Winnipeg.
“I write about what interests me and I do believe that there is a thirst for this kind of theatre and film,” Dittrich says.
“It’s a private package, grief is, and I think that the theatre is a good place to explore the emotion. And depending on one’s personal experience, one’s own package, I would expect that no two people will see the play in the same way. That having been said, I’ve had people tell me that they felt empowered for having seen the play,” Dittrich notes.
“And it is not a depressing story at all, but a hopeful one. We all want to see someone make it through (their grief) because we all want to be able to make it through. We hope that we can find the same strength and the play gives us the hope that we can.”
The Piano Teacher opens Sept. 26 at The Chemainus Theatre Festival, directed by Sarah Rodgers. Starring Rebecca DeBoer as Erin and Erin Ormond as Elaine, the play continues through Oct. 20.
Tickets and performance information can be found at chemainustheatrefestival.ca/the-piano-teacher-2/.
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