September 9–October 18, 2026

August Wilson's MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM

AUGUST WILSON'S MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
Co-produced with Olney Theatre Center
September 9–October 18, 2026

Set in 1920s Chicago and pulsing with rousing blues music, wry comedy, and poetic insight, August Wilson’s acclaimed play follows trailblazing singer Ma Rainey and her band during a fraught recording session. As conflicts flare over art, power, and control, the struggle between the musicians and studio executives grows to a shattering finale. Don’t miss this explosive and thrilling “genuine American masterpiece” (Chicago Reader) that takes a searing look at the racial exploitation at the heart of the music industry and celebrates the cathartic power of the blues.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Our Golden Anniversary sponsors are Nan Beckley; Heidi and Mitch Dupler; Gil and Rona* Eisner; Jay and Robin Hammer; Manfred M Hein* and Florence H Hein*; Linda Ravdin and Don Shapero; David and Sherry Smith; and Judy and Leo Zickler.

August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is sponsored by Judy and Leo Zickler.

*in memoriam

August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

"A crackling production...[with] blistering banter"

-The Washington Post

"A marvel that...never loses steam"

-The Washington Post

"Admirable...brings August Wilson’s story of race, artistry, and ownership vividly to life"

-DC Theater Arts

"First-rate...a terrific ensemble"

-Broadway World

"It’s hard to imagine a stronger regional offering this season than this solid and inspired revival."

-Broadway World

"Powerful and riveting"

-Washington UnBound

"A smashing success"

-Hill Rag

"A sizzling hot hit"

-Whisk and Quill

"An electrifying and richly layered production of August Wilson's classic that darkly depicts the soul of creation and the grit of ambition"

-Morris Theatre DC

"An explosive, insightful, and ultimately chilling theatrical experience that sets the bar for this season's dramatic offerings impossibly high"

-Morris Theatre DC

"A must-see...deeply emotional...a resounding triumph"

-DCdigest

"A faithful, enveloping, beautifully performed revival of a masterpiece"

-City Cast DC

View content advisories for this production

Run time: approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes including one intermission.

Audio-Described performance: Sep 19 (matinee)
Open-Captioned performances: Sep 20 (matinee), Sep 26 (matinee)
Mask-Required performance: Oct 10 (matinee)
Black Out Night: Oct 6 (Learn more)

Post-show discussions: Sep 9, Sep 10, Sep 20
Post-show discussion with Dr. Khalid Y. Long (President of the August Wilson Society) and Otis Ramsey‑Zoe: Oct 4
Designer Discussion: Sep 9 at 6:45 pm
Director Discussion: Sep 11 at 6:45 pm
Teen Night: Sep 11
Learn more about discussions and talkbacks

Reserve Free Play tickets for students ages 13 through college
Learn more about Free Play

Pay-What-You-Can performances: Sep 9, 12 (matinee)
View all discounts and ticket information

CAST

UNDERSTUDIES

Zach Brewster-Geisz

Irvin Understudy

Zach Brewster-Geisz (Irvin Understudy) is excited to make his Round House debut. DC work includes: The Outsider (Helen Hayes nomination: Outstanding Lead Performer) and The Minutes at Keegan Theatre; Indecent and The Chosen at 1st Stage; The Scenarios and If I Forget at Studio Theatre; A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Avant Bard; Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven at Rorschach Theatre; East of Eden and Richard III at NextStop Theatre; and Grand Concourse and The Explorers Club at Prologue Theatre. Television work includes We Own This City (HBO) and Lady in the Lake (Apple TV). He is on the faculty at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. www.ZachBG.com

Tziah Coli

Dussie Mae Understudy

Tziah Coli (Dussie Mae Understudy) is thrilled to be making her (official) Round House debut! Previous Round House/Olney Theatre Center credits include FELA! (Performed at Olney Theatre Center, Helen Hayes Outstanding Ensemble). Regional credits include Midiculous at Keegan Theatre; Young Americans at 1st Stage; and The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical at Signature Theatre (Helen Hayes Outstanding Ensemble). Educational Theatre credits include The House That Will Not Stand and Rhyme Deferred at Howard University. BFA: Howard University Class of 2025; British American Drama Academy: Midsummer in Oxford; Signature Theatre's Overtures. Instagram: @tziahcoli.

Angela Faith

Ma Rainey Understudy

Angela Faith (Ma Rainey Understudy) is excited to make her debut at Round House Theatre! She has performed nationwide alongside artists such as Patti LaBelle, Sting, Paul Simon, and Kelly Price. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, Spotify, NPR, and NBC. Local credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company; A Raisin in the Sun at Sterling Playmakers; The Color Purple at St. Mark's Players; School Girls, Or the African Mean Girls Play at NextStop Theatre Company; Save My Black Soul at Laurel Mill Playhouse; and Intimate Apparel at Compass Rose Theater. She has also served as an Assistant Director on Romeo and Juliet at Laurel Mill Playhouse; Tartuffe at Silver Spring Stage; and The Colored Museum at Silver Spring Stage. BA: Berklee College of Music. Instagram: @angelafaithlive.

Dominique Gray

Levee/Sylvester Understudy

Dominique Gray (Levee/Sylvester Understudy) was most recently an understudy at Arena Stage for Fremont Ave. Other credits include The Minutes and Hand to God at Keegan Theatre; Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors (understudy) at Constellation Theatre Company; 10 Seconds and The Last Martyr at Imagination Stage; and DC, I Love You at Folger Theatre. Dominique is a graduate of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts.

DeJeanette Horne

Cutler/Toledo Understudy

DeJeanette Horne (Understudy Cutler/ Toledo) is a Washington, DC-area actor whose theatre credits include Fences, Metamorphoses, Sunset Baby, The Brothers Paranormal, Sweat, Macbeth, Hamlet, and The Outsider with companies including Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Folger Theatre, Anacostia Playhouse, Olney Theatre Center, and Keegan Theatre. His work has earned multiple Helen Hayes Award nominations and two Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Ensemble, including This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing and The Outsider. Screen credits include Bust, Made in America, Harlot’s Webb, and Last Call, the musical. DeJeanette is also an accomplished voice-over artist, with credits for GraphicAudio and WILL Interactive.

Brendan Murray

Sturdyvant/Policeman Understudy

Brendan Murray (Sturdyvant/Policeman Understudy) previously understudied for Round House’s production of Caroline or Change, but he really credits his love of acting to Round House’s 1970s precursor, the children’s performance troupe "Street 70." He is currently a company member and teaching artist with Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore, where he has performed in Persuasion, It’s the Comedy of Errors Hon, A Christmas Carol, The Merry Wives of Windsor, As You Like It, Henry IV (Parts 1 and 2), and She Stoops to Conquer. Other regional productions include Rabbit Hole (Peter’s Alley), Tangles (New Theater of Medicine), and The Mollusc (Quotidian Theatre Company).

Tre'mon Mills

Slow Drag Understudy

Tre'mon Mills (Slow Drag Understudy) is thrilled to make his Round House Theatre debut. DC-area credits include Look Both Ways at Theatre Alliance/Kennedy Center TYA Tour; The Bluest Eye at Theatre Alliance; Push The Button at Keegan Theatre; 10 Seconds, Aquarium, Wake Up Brother Bear, and P. Nokio at Imagination Stage; Roll On at THEARC; and A Raisin in the Sun, Mamma Mia!, and The Great Society at Lyric Repertory Company. Tre'mon received the Distinguished Chairman's Award from Howard University's Department of Theatre Arts, where he earned his BFA in Acting. Additional training includes the British American Drama Academy's Midsummer in Oxford Program.

CREATIVE TEAM

MEDIA

<p>Cast of August Wilson's <em>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. </em>Photo by Teresa Castracane. </p> — Cast of August Wilson's *Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.* Photo by Teresa Castracane.

<p>Yao Dogbe (Levee) in August Wilson's <em>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. </em>Photo by Teresa Castracane. </p> — Yao Dogbe (Levee) in August Wilson's *Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.* Photo by Teresa Castracane.

<p>Ro Boddie (Toledo),<span> </span>Yao Dogbe (Levee),<span> and </span>Derrick<span> </span>Truby (Slow Drag)<span> </span>in August Wilson’s <em>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.</em> Photo by Teresa Castracane</p> — Ro Boddie (Toledo), Yao Dogbe (Levee), and Derrick Truby (Slow Drag) in August Wilson’s *Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.* Photo by Teresa Castracane

<p>Kanysha Williams (Dussie<span> Mae) and </span>Nicole Michelle Haskins (Ma Rainey)<span> </span>in August Wilson’s <em>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom</em>. Photo by Teresa Castracane</p> — Kanysha Williams (Dussie Mae) and Nicole Michelle Haskins (Ma Rainey) in August Wilson’s *Ma Rainey's Black Bottom*. Photo by Teresa Castracane

<p>Craig Wallace (Cutler), Ro Boddie (Toledo), Yao Dogbe (Levee), and Derrick Truby (Slow Drag) in August Wilson’s <em>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.</em> Photo by Teresa Castracane</p> — Craig Wallace (Cutler), Ro Boddie (Toledo), Yao Dogbe (Levee), and Derrick Truby (Slow Drag) in August Wilson’s *Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.* Photo by Teresa Castracane

<p>Nicole Michelle Haskins (Ma Rainey) in August Wilson's <em>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. </em>Photo by Teresa Castracane. </p> — Nicole Michelle Haskins (Ma Rainey) in August Wilson's *Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.* Photo by Teresa Castracane.

<p>Nicole Michelle Haskins (Ma Rainey), Kanysha Williams (Dussie Mae), and Yao Dogbee (Levee) in August Wilson's <em>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. </em>Photo by Teresa Castracane. </p> — Nicole Michelle Haskins (Ma Rainey), Kanysha Williams (Dussie Mae), and Yao Dogbee (Levee) in August Wilson's *Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.* Photo by Teresa Castracane.

<p>Yao Dogbe (Levee), Craig Wallace (Cutler), Ro Boddie (Toledo), and Derrick Truby (Slow Drag) in August Wilson’s <em>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.</em> Photo by Teresa Castracane</p> — Yao Dogbe (Levee), Craig Wallace (Cutler), Ro Boddie (Toledo), and Derrick Truby (Slow Drag) in August Wilson’s *Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.* Photo by Teresa Castracane

<p>Nicole Michelle Haskins (Ma Rainey),<span> </span>Jaylen Henderson (Sylvester),<span> and </span>Michael Glenn (Irvin)<span> </span>in August Wilson’s <em>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. </em>Photo by Teresa Castracane</p> — Nicole Michelle Haskins (Ma Rainey), Jaylen Henderson (Sylvester), and Michael Glenn (Irvin) in August Wilson’s *Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.* Photo by Teresa Castracane

<p>Michael Glenn (Irvin) and Chris Genebach (Sturdyvant) in August Wilson’s <em>Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. </em>Photo by Teresa Castracane</p> — Michael Glenn (Irvin) and Chris Genebach (Sturdyvant) in August Wilson’s *Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.* Photo by Teresa Castracane

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