Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at Yale Repertory Theatre

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom by August Wilson returns to Yale Repertory Theatre more than 40 years after its world premiere on the same stage. Set in Chicago in 1927, the play unfolds over a recording session in which the legendary "Mother of the Blues," Ma Rainey, and her ambitious trumpeter, Levee, clash in a battle of wills that exposes the emotional and economic exploitation faced by Black artists in America. The play explores dreams deferred, cultural identity, and the power of the blues. Timothy Douglas, who directed the world premiere of Wilson's Radio Golf at Yale Rep in 2005, directs this production.