August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson is both an artistic challenge and a deeply personal journey for Faushia Raquel Weeden, who steps into the powerful role of Berniece with intention and heart. In this interview, Weeden reflects on what first drew her to Wilson’s work, how her own life experiences inform her approach to the character, and why the stories we inherit continue to shape who we are. Audiences may recognize Faushia from her previous appearances on OCP stages in Dot and A Raisin in the Sun.
Faushia Raquel Weeden
As an actor, what drew you to The Piano Lesson?
August Wilson. I was introduced to his work in college and it’s something that can be revisited again and again. And it’s challenging as an actor. This is the type of work is that made me fall in love with theatre.
Are there aspects of yourself and/or personal experiences that have influenced how you’ve approached your character?
Absolutely. Every character I’ve played is drawn from pieces of myself, my family, and people I know. The character becomes real for me because I feel like I know them. Unfortunately, I can also relate to many of the struggles presented in this play. From being a single mother, navigating tense family relationships, anxiety, and grief. I experienced a tragic loss last year. There’s a sense of catharsis for me, but Berniece has to be her own creation.
Faushia Raquel Weeden as Berniece in The Piano Lesson (Omaha Community Playhouse, 2026)
Is there a moment or scene that especially resonates with you?
Honesty, the scene where Doaker reveals the family history. That kind of specificity is only passed down between families. In their case, this singular object changed the trajectory of their lives for generations to come. The horrors of American chattel slavery were not far removed from the time period of the play.
As a modern audience, we get a glimpse inside. Despite the supernatural themes, it’s less abstract when you give a face and name to these stories, when you see the aftermath. It makes me think about my own family. Those who chose to pass as white or move north for a better life. Later on, some joined the military or air force and that’s how I ended up living in Omaha. Their stories are mine.
What do you hope the audiences take away from The Piano Lesson?
My ‘Piano Lesson’ is that we choose what we carry and what we allow to hold weight in our life, no matter our circumstances.
The heirloom in The Piano Lesson is, of course, the piano. Do have an heirloom that’s special to you?
I used to have two my grandmothers’ wedding rings. But one of my favorite keepsakes is my great grandmother’s perfume powder. I keep it in a drawer and the scent soaks into all the fabric. It invokes a memory that ignites all my senses. The smell of the perfume, the warmth of her wrinkled hands on my arm, the crackling of the skillet as she made me my favorite ‘buttered eggs’. For a moment, it’s like she’s right next to me again.
In The Piano Lesson, Berniece and her brother Boy Willie clash over the fate of a family heirloom piano, carved with images of their ancestors.
Through Berniece, Faushia invites audiences to reflect on the weight of memory and the choices we make about what we carry forward. August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson reminds us that family history lives not only in heirlooms, but in our bodies and our decisions. As she so beautifully expressed, honoring the past doesn’t mean being trapped by it. It means understanding its power and deciding how it shapes our future.
August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
Jan. 16 – Feb. 8, 2026
Omaha Community Playhouse | Hawks Mainstage Theatre
