About Ragtime



This show is a stunning and epic piece of theatre that tells the story of the intersection of three communities in New York between 1902 and 1912. Set in the early 20th Century, Ragtime tells the story of three groups in the United States: African Americans, represented by the character "Coalhouse Walker Jr.", a Harlem musician, upper-class suburbanites, represented by the character “Mother”, the matriarch of a white upper-class family in New Rochelle, NY; and European immigrants, represented by Tateh, a Jewish immigrant from Latvia. The show also incorporates historical figures such as Harry Houdini, Evenlyn Nesbit, Booker T. Washington, J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Stanford White, Harry Kendall Thaw, Admiral Peary, Matthew Henson, and Emma Goldman. The music is beautiful and stirring but there are so many roles that not everyone has to be an experienced singer. We are particularly excited about the chance that this show gives us to examine Sallies theme for the year, “Humility, humility, humility” as well as engage directly in dialogue around the issues of the show: race, privilege, power, gender roles, immigration status, and these all come together to create The American Dream.


Salesianum School Theater