Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Written by August Wilson
An Experience L.A. Event
Depart USC at 7 p.m.; return at 11:30 p.m.

ADMISSION:
Open to USC students only. Reservations required. RSVP beginning Thursday, September 15, at 9 a.m. See description for details.*

USC Students: RSVP

To attend a performance on your own, visit centertheatregroup.org. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at the Mark Taper Forum begins previews on August 31 and closes on October 16.

DESCRIPTION:
*This trip is for current USC students only. You must use the provided transportation to participate. Space is limited and advance registration is required. RSVP beginning Thursday, September 15, at 9 a.m. Check-in for the event will begin at 6:15 p.m. on campus. Buses will depart at 7 p.m. and return to campus at 11:30 p.m. Dinner will be provided at check-in.

“Blazing lyrical and emotional force . . . The spellbinding sound of a great American artist singing the history of his culture from the stage, creating a long, beautiful song out of unfathomable suffering."
—Charles Isherwood, Variety

“Brilliant . . . explosive! Dramatically riveting.”
—Newhouse Newspapers

An American masterpiece, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is an incredibly powerful depiction of rage, racism, and exploitation set in 1927 Chicago during a recording session at a white-owned studio with a singer inspired by Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, widely considered the Mother of the Blues. Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad directs this groundbreaking play from August Wilson’s American Century Cycle, a series of ten plays chronicling the African American experience of the 20th century for which Wilson won two Pulitzer Prizes. The play will be presented by the Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s most influential nonprofit theatre companies.