Grief is an inescapable part of life and has been the subject of scores of artistic endeavours over the centuries. It’s a fundamental truth that playwright Dorothy Dittrich acknowledges while making no apologies for tackling the subject again in her play, The Piano Teacher.
“Grief is an unavoidable event in every person’s life, and I believe that it deserves centre stage,” Dittrich says. “It’s empowering – not depressing. It’s an inclusive event, and instructive, and I’ve had people tell me that they come away feeling less isolated.”
The Governor General’s Award-winning play revolves around the character of Erin, a classical pianist who, having experienced a devastating family tragedy, finds herself unable to even touch a piano, let alone play music.
“The play explores the power of music and the power of the human spirit,” Dittrich says. “It’s also about the power of friendship. Erin meets a friend who guides her from her nightmares. The lesson, I suppose, is that while the emotion of grief is a private one, it doesn’t mean that we have to go through it alone.”
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/.
