The Music Lesson
(Theater for Families) Resonating with the music of Bach, this is a story of two countries, two families, two generations, and the ways they teach and heal each other
Weaving together the music of Bach, with memories of the Bosnian War and the universal conflicts between teacher and student, The Music Lesson tells the story of Irena and her husband Ivan, two musicians who escaped the war in Sarajevo to start a new life in Pittsburgh. When Ivan meets Mrs. Johnson, a recently divorced mother, at Giant Eagle, he brings home two new students: 10-year-old Eddie, a talented violin student, and the unwilling Kat, his 14-year-old sister. While Irena’s passion for music and the students she taught helped her survive the war, she now stands torn between Maja, the 12-year-old piano prodigy she left behind in Sarajevo, and Kat the bright but angry American teenager who wants to learn but resists her teaching. Shifting elegantly from past to present and resonating with powerful music, this is the tale of two countries, two families, two generations and the ways they teach and heal each other.
"One of the year’s most important, thought provoking and heartfelt new plays...Tammy Ryan’s impressive drama...sears as well as soothes the soul.” - Jack Zink, Sun Sentinel South Florida
“A play of vital theatricality, rich in vivid and resonant images.” - Arcade Suburban Publications, Pennsylvania