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(Photo by Patrice Bailey)
The New World School of the Arts College Music Theater students take to the stage, Feb 25-27, with the Broadway musical Ragtime, written by the award-winning composer/lyricist team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and noted playwright Terrence McNally, based on the novel by E. L. Doctorow.
Under the direction of NWSA dean of theater Patrice Bailey and faculty member James Randolph, the award-winning musical highlights the artistic talent of the acting and music theater students in the BFA program.
“Although our time period for Ragtime is in the early 1900s there is much relevance to our lives in America today,” explained Dean Bailey. “Ragtime offers us a story of the American dream and what it means to an upper-class woman, a newly arrived immigrant, and a Harlem musician, who all find courage and conviction in the hope for change and the future of America.”
Opening Night is Friday, Feb. 25; 7 p.m. in the Louise O. Gerrits Theater. 25 NE Second St., Eighth Floor. Followup shows are Saturday, Feb. 26; 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 27, 2 p.m.
Tickets are $15 general admission. $10 students and seniors.
For more information, call 305-237-3260. Tickets can be purchased online at http://nwsa.mdc.edu.
Ragtime is a story of life in America at the turn of the 20th Century. It was a time of enormous change in the country and the economy was booming and growing at a fast rate. Industrial growth was expanding, and immigrants were changing the landscape of the country while the rich were getting richer. It also was a time for immigrants and Black America to fight for equality and justice.
The musical style of Ragtime was created in African American communities throughout the southern parts of the Midwest, particularly St. Louis. Its name is believed to be a contraction of the term “ragged time,” which refers to its rhythmically broken up melodies.”
Information about the NWSA Theater program is available by calling 305-237-3260, by visiting http://nwsa.mdc.edu/ or by calling the main office at 305-237-3135.
