MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM Runs 9/17-10/18 At Court Street Theatre

Court Theatre opens its 55th season with August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson. The production will run September 17 - October 18, 2009 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue.

Court Theatre returns to August Wilson's Century Cycle, with the 1920s entry - his only play to be set on the South Side of Chicago. A recording session for blues legend Ma Rainey and her band becomes a battle of wills in the first major Chicago production in over 10 years.

Directed by: Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson
Written by: August Wilson
Featuring: Greta Oglesby (Ma Rainey), AC Smith (Slow Drag), AlFrEd Wilson (Toledo), Cedric Young (Cutler), Thomas J. Cox (Sturdyvant), Stephen Spencer (Irvin), Kristy Johnson (Dussie Mae), James T. Alfred (Levee) and Kelvin Roston, Jr. (Sylvester).

Previews: September 17 - September 25, 2009
Regular run: September 30 - October 18, 2009
Schedule: Wednesdays & Thursdays: 7:30 p.m.

Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.
Tickets: $32-$56
Box Office: Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or online www.CourtTheatre.org

The exclusive corporate sponsor is Hyde Park Bank.

Court Theatre is the professional theatre in residence at the University of Chicago continuing to discover the power of classic theatre. Court Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Productions are made possible in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and by a City Arts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Court Theatre is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for the American Theatre; the League of Resident Theatres; the Illinois Humanities Council; the Illinois Arts Alliance; the League of Chicago Theatres; and Hyde Park Cultural Alliance.