Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Play: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Playwright: August Wilson
Opening: February 24, 2017
Play Dates and Times: February 24 and 25 and March 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11 at 8:00 p.m., with one 2:00 p.m. matinee on March 5.
Talkback: A talkback that is free and open to the public will take place with director Sonya 
McCarter and the cast following the 2 p.m. matinee on March 5. Talkbacks encourage the open discussion of ideas, themes, and performance of the play.
Plot: Set in a recording studio in 1927, the story takes place over the course of an afternoon as a group of musicians and the legendary blues singer Ma Rainey record several songs. Much of the play takes the form of discussions and arguments 
among the four musicians, each of whom brings his own perspective to questions of prejudice and the problems facing black people in American society. Brilliant and explosive, this play explores the complicated world of black musicians striving to make it at the height of the classic blues recording era.
Historical Note: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom the play that initiated August Wilson’s famous ten-play cycle which chronicled the African American experience in each decade of the 20th Century. Don’t miss this riveting masterpiece by one of America’s foremost playwrights!
Director: Sonya McCarter
Cast: The cast for this production includes:
- Cantrella Canady as Ma Rainey
- Curt Sheard as Cutler
- Roosevelt Stewart as Levee
- Cicero McCarter III as Slow Drag
- Elvis Mortley as Toledo
- Charlie Sloin as Irvin
- Patrick Day as Sturdyvant
- Shaunte Manuel as Dussie Mae
- Vladimy Bellefleur as Sylvester
- Austin Harn as police officer
Sponsors: Noreen Raney
Tickets: Tickets are $24 or $11 for students with proper ID. Thursday nights are “buy one get one half off.” Alliance for the Arts Member Theatre Night is Friday, February 24 and tickets are $15 for members of the Alliance of the Arts. For tickets, call 239-936-3239 or purchase online at www.theatreconspiracy.org.
February 14, 2017.
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About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.