Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

RON OJ PARSON is a Resident Artist at Court where he has directed The Piano Lesson, The First Breeze of Summer, Flyin’ West and the highly acclaimed, Jeff Award-winning production of Fences. He is the co-founder and former Artistic Director of The Onyx Theatre Ensemble of Chicago. He hails from Buffalo, New York and is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Professional Theatre Program. In Chicago he has directed shows at The Goodman (Let Me Live), Steppenwolf (Wedding Band, a co-production with Congo Square Theatre, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, and The Horn, a co-production with City Lit Theatre), Victory Gardens (Hambone), Congo Square (The Piano Lesson and co-directed and acted in Ali), and Urban Theatre Company (Short Eyes). He has also worked with Black Ensemble Theatre and eta Creative Arts Foundation, most recently directing Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil. For Onyx, he directed East Texas Hot Links, Sty of the Blind Pig, and Flyin’ West, among many other shows. Regionally he has directed at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Palmer Park), the St. Louis Black Repertory Co. (Jitney), Portland Stage Company (Fences, The Piano Lesson), Virginia Stage Company (Yellowman), Studio Arena Theatre (A Raisin in the Sun), Village Theatre in Issaqua, Washington (One Red Flower), Madison Repertory Theatre (Topdog/Underdog), Actors Theatre of Louisville (Gem of the Ocean), and Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (Radio Golf). Also an accomplished actor, Parson has worked at various theatres in and out of the U.S. Some TV and film credits include E.R., Early Edition, Turks, Primal Fear, Ali, Barbershop 2, and Drop Squad. Find out more at www.ronojparson.com.

JOHN CULBERT recently designed scenery for Court Theatre’s productions of The Year of Magical Thinking, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Caroline or Change, Man of La Mancha (for which he received a Joseph Jefferson award), and Carousel, Northlight Theatre’s Grey Gardens, Rigoletto for Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Regina.  He also designed Lookingglass Theatre’s Argonautika, Goodman Theatre’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Long Wharf Theatre’s Hughie. He has designed productions for the Singapore Repertory, Opera National du Rhin, Berkeley Rep, McCarter Theatre, and the Shakespeare Theatre. Other projects include the lighting design for the Chicago Park District’s Buckingham Fountain. Mr. Culbert serves as the dean of The Theatre School at DePaul University.

JACQUELINE FIRKINS is pleased to return for her 6th season at Court Theatre. She designed costumes for this season’s production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Design work includes sets and/or costumes for Hartford Stage, Dallas Theater Center, Portland Center Stage, Goodman Theatre, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Westport Playhouse, Shakespeare & Company, Shakespeare Festival of Tulane, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Yale Repertory Theater, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, Brave New Repertory, About Face Theatre, Northlight Theatre, and Yale School of Drama. Jacqueline is a recipient of a 2001 Princess Grace Award and heads the design program at Loyola University Chicago.

MARC STUBBLEFIELD is currently in his 9th year as Court’s Director of Production. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is his fifth design for Court, having worked with Artistic Director Charlie Newell on Glass Menagerie and Arcadia, and Ron OJ Parson on The Piano Lesson and First Breeze of Summer. He has worked at the Geffen Playhouse, the Berkshire Theatre Festival, and the Alley Theatre among others. He received a dual MFA in Production Management and Scenic Design from UCLA’s school of Theatre, Film and Television, and his BA in Technical Theatre from Rice University.

JOSHUA HORVATH Court: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Wait Until Dark, Fences, Caroline or Change, Titus Andronicus, Fences, First Breeze of Summer, Raisin’, Guys and Dolls, Romance Cycle, and End Game. Off-Broadway: Clay (Lincoln Center). Chicago credits: Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Northlight, Lookingglass, About Face, The House Theatre, Timeline, and Congo Square. Regional credits: The Kennedy Center, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf, Centerstage, Kansas City Rep, Center Theatre Group, Peninsula Player, Illinois Shakespeare, Great River Shakespeare, Milwaukee Rep, Milwaukee Shakespeare, and Madison Rep.  Mr. Horvath has won two Jeff awards and has been nominated 6 times.

RAY NARDELLI Past Court Credits include Wait Until Dark, First Breeze of Summer,  What the Butler Saw,  Flyin West, Endgame, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Fraulein Else (Jeff Nomination). Ray has composed music and designed sound at The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Northlight Theatre, AppleTree Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, The Gift Theatre, Northwestern Theatre, Depaul Theatre, Notre Dame Summer Shakespeare, Meadow Brook Theatre, Dolphinback Theatre, American Girl Theatre, Skylight Opera. Memberships include ASCAP, IATSE #2 and USA #829.

ELLEN HAY has had the pleasure of stage managing more than 20 productions at Court Theatre over the past decade.  Favorites include Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Caroline, or Change, Arcadia, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, My Fair Lady, The Invention of Love, and Nora.  Other credits include work at the Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Hartford Stage Company, and The Public Theater.