Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Tickets and Information

Visit the Ma Rainey's Black Bottom website:
http://www.peopletheatre.net

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is set in Chicago, March of 1927. In two acts, the play tells the story of legendary blues singer Ma Rainey and her band, addressing race, religion, art, and the sometimes soul-crushing search for identity in 1920s America. The title of the play, derived from a phenomenally popular flapper-era dance and the title of one of Ma Rainey's actual songs, is in itself a statement about the exploitation of African-American performers by white producers, which becomes one of the play's central conflicts.