Wednesday, September 25
Portland Stage Company starts its season with Pulitzer Prize–winner August Wilson’s 1982 play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, in which the legendary blues singer and her band attempt to record in Chicago against a backdrop of racial and artistic tension. It runs from Sept. 24 through Oct. 20; tonight’s preview performance is at 7:30 p.m. Tix: $35. 774-0465. portlandstage.org.