Derrick Truby. Photo by DJ Corey.
Round House Theatre and Olney Theatre Center continue their longstanding partnership with a co-production of August Wilson’s blistering masterpiece, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Directed by Helen Hayes Award winner Lili-Anne Brown (FELA!, also co-produced by Round House and Olney), the story is widely regarded as one of Wilson’s most searing and enduring plays. The production runs September 9–October 11, 2026 at Round House Theatre which is celebrating its 50th anniversary during the 2026-2027 season.
Derrick Truby (Slow-Drag) has appeared locally in 1776 (Benjamin Franklin), Sister Act (Curtis), Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour), A Christmas Carol (Fezziwig) at Ford’s Theatre; Play On! (Sweets) at Signature Theatre; The Merry Wives of Windsor (Simple) at Folger Theatre; A.D. 16 (Ensemble) at Olney Theatre Center; Elephant and Piggie’s We Are in a Play! (Elephant) and Winnie the Pooh (Pooh) at Adventure Theatre Company; Be More Chill at Monumental Theatre Company; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at Imagination Stage; and Smokey Joe’s Café and Memphis (Bobby) at ArtsCentric, where he is a company member. Regional credits include Godspell (Jesus) at Great Lakes Center for the Arts.
You attended Round House Theatre’s Summer Camp growing up and are now returning to perform at Round House Theatre. What a full-circle moment! How does it feel to be back after all this time, and how did that experience prepare you for your career as a professional actor?
It was an amazing experience being in the summer program all those years ago. I was there around 2004-2006 and found it to be a very transformative time for me. I was introduced to different aspects of musical theater that I had never interacted with before. I had, of course, done school plays and choir concerts at that time in elementary and middle school, but I had never done or heard of “Guys and Dolls.” It is what gave me a chance to sing “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat;” learn about that musical; and learn from professionals who were working in the DC area. It was incredible. Then, years later, some of those instructors are now colleagues in shows, and I’m still learning from them. So it’s quite an amazing history that I feel lucky to have been a part of.
Tell me about your character, Slow-Drag. What aspects of his journey do you most relate to as a performer and what has the process of bringing him to life been like for you?
Slow-Drag is great. He’s a trip! Within the context of the play, he often is a part of the levity and some of the joy that can be found in what we, in 2026, would perceive as troubling times or not the most optimistic times, specifically for Black people. Oftentimes, he is the one with the joke and the one setting up someone else for a good laugh. I think it’s really cool that I get to take on that kind of a role.
Something that Slow-Drag and I share is that I am a singer, and he is a professional musician. The joy of what music can bring in regard to camaraderie between people and their differences when it comes to having a good time and enjoying life, we share that approach and that enjoyment of what music can bring. So that’s been really cool to share with the character. The way that we are very different is that he and others in the play (and specifically during that time) had a lot of vices that we don’t typically share or express with the enjoyment in the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and different things like that. He definitely had a good time! Our versions of a good time are very different, and that’s OK, but very different than how I would spend my Friday and Saturday night (laughs).
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” features a rousing 1920s blues score. What have been the challenges of incorporating this unique musical dimension into the production and how does the music help bring the story to life?
The character of Ma Rainey in the play actually speaks to this. Blues music carries not only Black history inherently in the notes, the way that notes are bent, and the way that the music is played, but it’s also a celebration. Trying to remember that as you’re going through the songs in the play has been really helpful. I would say for myself, whenever I’m singing a song in 2026, there are many things that I’m thinking about. I’m thinking about whether or not the audience enjoys it. I’m thinking about being technically prepared to sing the song. Whereas, in singing the blues in the ’20s, I think that expressing one’s relationship with the world around them was way more important and inherent to the way music was made and done, as opposed to my experience in 2026. If there was anything that was challenging or anything that was most important to remember, I think it’s trying to put the music within the cultural relevance of what the ‘20s were for African Americans.
The play revolves around a tense, 1920s recording session. As an actor/singer, what do you most relate to in the storyline, particularly when it comes to the creative process and the dynamics among the artists?
I think I most relate to the idea of showing up, being prepared, and wanting to get it done efficiently and correctly. In that particular scene that you’re referencing, there are a lot of restarts that have to happen for many different reasons. Some of the struggles with having to restart and go back and do things again are that it just takes longer. Because we are all contract artists (not only the singers and the performers, but also the engineers), we have to make sure that we’re putting out good work and being consistent in that. That is an amazing problem to have, but it is something to be cognizant of. You don’t want to mess up numerous times, and you don’t want to hold up the process. That’s something that I definitely could see them being stressed about. Do I think it’s the end of the world? No, because we’re human beings and we deserve to make mistakes. I can’t say that I exactly agree with the stress or the need for stress, but it was a different time. When they had to do retakes back in the ‘20s, it was way more laborious than it is for us. We can just erase, delete, and try it again. We’re not relying on discs, film, and other materials in the same way. They didn’t have access to the digital tools and technology that we have today.
Why should audiences come see “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom?” What do you think will resonate most with theatergoers, and what do you hope they take away from the show?
First and foremost, I think the reason why anyone should see an August Wilson play is that he is America’s Shakespeare. What I mean by that is, in the most artistic and concise way, he can express human behavior and the American experience better than anyone else I can think of. When you’re watching Ma Rainey and you’re seeing the experience of a Black, queer woman in the ‘20’s; when you’re seeing the band members who all represent different aspects of what the Black experience might have been in the ‘20s; or when you’re interacting with the three White characters who are doing the best that they can (and the younger generation in Bessie and Sylvester), you’re seeing fully-realized human beings trying to do their best and make the best of what life has to offer them. That doesn’t degrade the experience, and it doesn’t degrade any of their experiences. That kind of writing and that skill is something that you don’t often find.
Specifically, in getting to do my first August Wilson play, I have found that all of the rumors are true. Every time you approach the work, you’re finding new things in the words, the way that the words were strung together, and in the way that the lines read on the page. You’re finding new ideas and revelations every single time you approach the work. I have found it to be an excellent gift. It has only made me want to do the entire cycle in the same way as Shakespeare. Every time you approach it, you’re finding new ways to imbue that kind of human interaction into the words because they’re soulful and relevant. That’s the reason why anyone should see August Wilson, specifically “Ma Rainey.” As I was stating before, some of these experiences and some of the things that we might be going through in 2026, represented in 1927, are incredibly and painfully relevant, and I think it could do a lot of good.
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission.
Advisory: Contains profanity, racial slurs, and sexual content.
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” runs September 9-October 11. 2026 at Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814. Performances are Wednesdays–Fridays at 7:30 p.m. (with Tuesday performances on September 22 and September 29), Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 240-644-1100, or visit the box office prior to the performance (hours are Tuesday-Friday, 12-5 p.m.), or go online,
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