Three families’ lives collide at the dawn of the 20th century.

Based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, this musical tapestry depicts an African-American family, a Jewish immigrant family, and a wealthy white suburban family in turn-of-the-century America, who collide in pursuit of the American Dream. Nominated for 13 Tony Awards® including “Best Musical,” and winning for “Best Original Score” and “Best Book of a Musical,” Ragtime is a powerful portrait of life during the turn-of-the-century, exploring America’s timeless contradictions of freedom and prejudice, wealth and poverty, hope and despair.

Director

PAUL DAVID BRYANT

Music Director

BRIAN KENNEDY

Honorary Producer

MARI HOOPER

Associate Producers

JON & AMANDA HALL

Youth Performance Underwriters

DON BLACK & JUDY McNULTY BLACK

RON & SYLVIA HARTMAN

EDWARD PARKER

Book

TERRENCE MCNALLY

Composer

STEPHEN FLAHERTY

Lyrics

LYNN AHRENS

Running Time

APPROXIMATELY

2 HOURS, 30 MINUTES

Synopsis: The lives of three families intertwine at the beginning of the 20th century. Life in America is changing. Ragtime tells of the experience of immigrants, African-Americans, and a wealthy family in the suburbs of New York. Social and racial conflicts rise to the surface as the lives of the characters become intertwined.

Theme: A changing world requires each group to adapt to a new way of life. Despite their differences, the characters’ lives become intertwined and display the changing world that America is becoming.

Language: Racial slurs used to describe African-Americans by white men in multiple scenes.

Smoking, Drinking, and Gambling: Some references

Violence: Fight scene at a train station, where a gun is fired. Hate crimes are inferred. A character is killed. Violence to seek justice is depicted. A character is shot.

For Which Audiences? Recommended for 6 th grade and higher due to material and violence.

Rating: If this was a movie, it would be rated PG-13.