NOW PLAYINGMA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOMby August Wilson EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND! A riveting play with music. It's 1927 in a rundown studio in Chicago where Ma Rainey is recording new sides of old favorites. More goes down in the session than music in this riveting portrayal of rage, racism, the self hate and exploitation. The New York Times calls the play "searing ... funny, salty, carnal and lyrical"! Recommended for mature audiences.
This production is made possible by contributions made in memory of Jim Scheiner and by Kristin Scofield, Jerry McKee and Char Magaro. MORE ABOUT MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOMOpen Stage of Harrisburg continues Season 26 with August Wilson's beloved classic MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM, directed by Executive Artistic Director Don Alsedek and featuring Open Stage regular Sharia Benn in the title role. The second play in Wilson's Century Cycle will run at Open Stage of Harrisburg, 223 Walnut St., Feb 3 - 25, 2011. Master playwright August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play is the 1920s entry in his monumental 20th Century play cycle, which explore the heritage and experience of African-Americans, decade-by-decade, over the course of the twentieth century. It's Chicago; it's 1927; and with the Jazz Age in full swing, it's a moment as full of possibility as risk for Ma Rainey and her band of less-than-merry musicians. Over the course of one rather fraught recording session, we learn of the perils and possibilities that await each of these proud, ambitious artists outside the recording studio walls, and inside their sometimes-tormented hearts. A celebrated actor and musical talent, Benn returns to Open Stage after her most recent turn in last year's August Wilson's THE PIANO LESSON. She has also appeared at open Stage in DOUBT and CROWNS. "It is always an honor to work on an August Wilson play," says Alsedek. "I'm truly thrilled to bring this African-American classic to Harrisburg." Open Stage of Harrisburg's production also features Ronnie Banks, Aaron Bomar, Leonard Dozier, James Robert Clark, Tanisha Hollis, Jeff Luttermoser, and Jeremy Paterson. MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM, the second play composed in August Wilson's 10-play Century Cycle, is the only one set outside of Pittsburgh—taking place, as it does, in Chicago. The Cycle, of which Open Stage has so far produced three, includes: GEM OF THE OCEAN, JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE, THE PIANO LESSON, SEVEN GUITARS, FENCES, TWO TRAINS RUNNING, JITNEY, KING HEDLEY II, and RADIO GULF. MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM won the 1985 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award Outstanding New Play and 1985 Tony Award for Best Play. The design team for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom includes scenic design by Andre Valsing, who most designed THE IMMIGRANT and THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ABRIDGED at Open Stage, as well as BERLIN TO BROADWAY with Resident Costume Designer Gwen Alsedek, who will be creating the 1920's pieces for this production; lighting design by Tristan Stasiulis (THE SANTALAND DIARIES); and sound design by Michael Banks ([title of show], A LIE OF THE MIND). MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM plays February 3-25 in the intimate Angino Family Theatre at Open Stage of Harrisburg, 223 Walnut Street, located on the street level of the Walnut Street Parking Garage in downtown Harrisburg. Join Open Stage for 3rd in the Burg on February 17! Admission to MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM is $29 Regular and $21 for Students with ID. For advanced ticket purchase, call our Box Office at 717-232-OPEN (6736) or visit openstagehbg.com. No coupon books will be honored for this production. The theatre lobby opens one hour prior to performance. MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM is recommended for mature audiences due to language.
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