Lessons in Temperament

“A memoir of minds gone out of tune” – The New York Times

“enlightening… enthralling… an elegant and melancholy metaphor for time.”
– The National Post 

The story of four neurodiverse brothers, told through a theatrical escape into the art and science of piano tuning. It is impossible to perfectly tune a piano – something that musician and theatre-maker James Smith knows all too well. A few years ago James taught himself how to tune pianos as an additional source of income between gigs. Through pursuing this work, he discovered something even more valuable – the perfect metaphor through which to process the mental complexities of his family. Between James and his brothers, they have had life-long journeys with OCD, autism, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Throughout the piece, James shares the story of his family, while getting the piano in front of him beautifully and imperfectly in tune.

Catch this award-winning play’s return to the stage, hot on the heels of its recent feature film adaptation.

Production History

2016 SummerWorks Festival
*Recipient of the Festival Prize for Production

2017 Outside the March Run

2017 Off-Broadway Run at New York’s Signature Theater
(Presented by Soulpepper Theatre)