The first few moments of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom are electrifying. It's 1927 in rural Georgia. Hundreds of people, all of them Black, are lined up at the entrance to a huge tent. Inside, Ma Rainey, ...

X’ydee Alexander, Evan Lewis Smith, Jeff Nahan, James Herriotte, Matt Hollerbach, Melanie Jones, Will Bryson, T. Pharoah Muhammad, and Antoine McKay in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Credit: Courtesy photo ...

August Wilson took the name of one of blues singer Ma Rainey’s songs for the title of his play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. She’s a character in the play, but the drama isn’t primarily about her. (The ...

SOUTH BEND — South Bend Civic Theatre continues its 10-play August Wilson Century Cycle with “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” through May 28 at 403 N. Main St. Written in 1982 and set in 1927 in Chicago, ...

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," was a hit song recorded in 1927, capitalizing on the black bottom dance craze sweeping the nation at the time. August Wilson's rich script delves into questions of artistic ...