The exciting Broadway musical Ragtime will take place in Gray Auditorium on July 6, 7, and 8. Tickets, ranging from $7 (students) to $15 (adults), and $20 for the special Opening Night Gala, are available at the Berea College Bookstore during business hours, beginning Monday, July 2, or by calling 859-985-3174. Tickets will also be available at the door for the same price at the beginning one hour before each performance.
Based on the 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow, the Broadway Musical Ragtime tells the story of three disparate cultural groups in America, and their coming together as a unified community during the time of the development of the new musical genre, Ragtime. The three groups are represented by Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Harlem musician; Mother, the matriarch of a white upper-class family in New Rochelle, NY; and Tateh, a Latvian Jewish immigrant. Historical figures such as Harry Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit, Booker T. Washington, J. P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Stanford White, Harry Kendall Thaw, Admiral Peary, Matthew Henson, and Emma Goldman also appear in the story. The music also includes marches, cakewalks, and gospel. The uplifting and triumphant story is an embodiment of many of Berea College’s Great Commitments. Ragtime is the symbol of a people coming together, and learning to live in harmony and peace.
The Ragtime production is the product of a Berea College 4-week intensive Summer 2 course entitled “The Complete Performer,” taught collaboratively by Mark Calkins (Producer), Stephen Bolster (Musical Director/Conductor), Deborah Martin (Stage Director), and Stephanie Woodie (Choreographer). Typical class days consisted of Yoga from 9-10, dance rehearsal from 10-12, music rehearsal from 1-4, and stage rehearsal from 7-10. Instrumental music for the production will be provided by the outstanding duo piano team of Javier and Lindsay Clavere.