August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
By August Wilson
Directed by Rico Bruce Wade
A Blues-Infused American Classic
It’s 1927 in a Chicago recording studio, where legendary blues singer Ma Rainey arrives ready to lay down tracks on her own terms. As tensions rise between Ma, her band, and the white producers controlling the session, ambition, pride, and exploitation collide in a room thick with heat and history. August Wilson’s searing masterpiece is a powerful exploration of race, art, and the cost of claiming your voice in a world determined to silence it.
Starring X’ydee Alexander, Nathan Barlow, Henrí Franklin, Richard E. Harris, Kenn Hopkins Jr., Aaron Kottke, Conor McShane, Cassius Merriweather, Joel Mitchell, and Yewande Odetoyinbo.
Scenic Design by Seth Howard
Costume Design by Robin K. Fields
Lighting Design by Sulaiman Rahman As-Salaam
Sound Design by Lumumba Leon Reynolds II
Props Design by Jesse Glenn
Fight & Intimacy Direction by Khalil LeSaldo
Production Stage Managed by Sarah Ackerman
Assistant Stage Managed by Rae Ocenasek