New Haven is the documented site of the April 6, 1984, opening of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at the Yale Repertory Theater. Its significance in the available account is theatrical: the city anchors the play’s recorded debut, while the evidence does not establish it as the setting of the characters’ action.

Theatrical Debut

The play opened at the Yale Repertory Theater in New Haven, Connecticut, on April 6, 1984. The production record identifies the city and theater together, placing New Haven firmly in the work’s performance history.

Opening Cast Record

The account introduces the opening with a cast list. Among its entries, Richard M. Davidson is listed as Sturdyvant and Lou Criscuolo as Irvin, linking the New Haven production to named performers and roles.

Place in the Play’s Geography

New Haven’s stated connection is to the production’s opening, not to the dramatic locations discussed within the play. The available evidence does not identify the band-room action or the stories told by the characters as occurring in New Haven; it therefore distinguishes the play’s documented theatrical home at its debut from the geography of its dialogue and action.