Audition Announcement - RAGTIME

Landmark Community Theatre will be holding auditions for “RAGTIME”, on Sunday, July 12th and Monday, July 13th on level 4 of the Thomaston Opera House. Auditions will be on a first come, first served basis. Auditions will run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. both days. There is a possibility of Callbacks. Date and Time not yet determined. No appointments are required. Video submissions will not be accepted. Foster Evans Reese will direct and choreograph the show with music direction by Sean Lewis and stage management by Morgan Griffin. The show dates are October 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18 for a total of 8 performances. Rehearsals will begin on Sunday, August 2nd and continue to be held 3 times a week. The intended rehearsal days will be Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings.

Audition Dates: Sunday, July 12th 6 pm - 9pm & Monday, July 13th 6 pm - 9 pm

Auditioners can either bring sheet music with them or a backing track and be prepared to sing 32 bars (about a minute) of a fully memorized musical theater song showcasing the style and vocal range of the character for which they are auditioning. Songs from RAGTIME will be allowed. Additional vocalizing may also be a part of the audition to determine vocal range and harmonizing skills. An accompanist will be provided if using sheet music as well as a Bluetooth speaker for tracks. All people auditioning should be expected to dance at their audition. Please wear appropriate clothing and shoes you can move in. Minimum age to audition is 16 years old. The roles of 'Little Boy' and 'Little Girl' are not open for auditions at this time.

LCT is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. As such, we encourage performers of all races and ethnicities, gender identities, sexualities, abilities, and ages to attend every audition. To performers with disabilities, you are encouraged to audition. Please indicate if you need special services, assistance, or appropriate modifications to fully participate in this event by contacting Andrea Bingham, Production Manager, andrea@landmarkcommunitytheatre.org

Plot Summary: Set in early-1900s America, the musical weaves together three distinct communities—a wealthy white family in New Rochelle, the Harlem ragtime musician Coalhouse Walker Jr., and Jewish immigrant Tateh and his daughter—as their lives intersect against a backdrop of rapid social change. The story follows Coalhouse as he seeks justice after his car is vandalized by a racist fire company, a struggle that escalates into violence and tragedy. Meanwhile, Mother, left to run the household while her husband is away on an Arctic expedition, finds her worldview transformed by the people who enter her life, including an abandoned Black baby she takes in. Tateh, fleeing poverty, reinvents himself as a filmmaker and finds the American success that eludes Coalhouse. The musical, based on E.L. Doctorow's novel, uses these intertwined stories to explore race, class, and the promise and limits of the American dream at the dawn of the 20th century.

Character Breakdown: Please note that listed ages are approximate ‘stage ages’ rather than actual age and may change based on audition turnouts.

The New Rochelle Family

• Mother – Late 20s-30s - The reflective center of the show. A devoted wife and parent who begins the story sheltered and dutiful, then grows into a woman with her own conscience and convictions as the world around her shifts.

• Father – 30s – 40s - An accomplished businessman and amateur Arctic explorer. Confident and set in his ways, he returns home to find that the country — and his own family — has moved on without him.

• Younger Brother – 20s - Mother's restless, idealistic sibling. Drawn first to Evelyn Nesbit, then to the radical politics of Emma Goldman, he eventually channels his passion into Coalhouse's fight for justice.

• Little Boy (Edgar) – Mother and Father's young son. Watchful, curious, and strangely perceptive, he often senses the truth of a situation before the adults around him do.

• Grandfather – 50s-60s (Non-singing Role) - A retired, opinionated scholar living in the family household, quick to grumble about the changing times.

The Harlem Story

• Coalhouse Walker Jr – Late 20s-30s - A gifted ragtime pianist with quiet pride and faith in his own future. His belief that he deserves fair treatment in America collides with brutal prejudice, sparking the musical's central tragedy.

• Sarah – Late teens-early 20s - A young laundress with a fierce will to live beneath her gentle exterior. After early heartbreak, she falls completely in love with Coalhouse and their bond becomes the show’s emotional anchor

• Sarah’s Friend – Late teens-early 20s – A fellow Harlem resident who stands by Sarah through hardship and grief

• Booker T. Washington – Mid 40s-50s – The real-life educator and orator, portrayed as a dignified voice of patience and gradual progress who clashes with Coalhouse’s growing militancy

The Immigrant Story

• Tateh – 30s – A Latvian Jewish immigrant artist freshly arrived with little money but enormous determination. His devotion to his daughter and his artistic talent eventually carry him to unexpected success.

• Little Girl – Tateh’s daughter, newly motherless and wary of her surroundings. She stays close to her father as the two of them find their footing in a new country.

Historical Figures

• Harry Houdini – late 20s – 30s – The celebrated escape artist an, immigrant himself, whose daring feats embody the era’s fascination with reinvention and spectacle.

• Evelyn Nesbit – late teens-early 20s – A vaudeville beauty and tabloid darling whose name became notorious after a sensational love-triangle scandal.

• Emma Goldman – 30s – A real-life anarchist and labor activist whose fiery speeches stir Mother’s younger brother toward radical action

• Henry Ford – late 30s – 40s – The visionary industrialist behind the assembly line, representing the era’s rapid mechanization and industrial ambition.

• J.P. Morgan – 60s (Non-singing Role) – The formidable financier whose wealth and influence loom over the era’s industrial and social order

• Willie Conklin – late 20s – 30s – A bigoted volunteer fireman whose act of vandalism against Coalhouse’s car ignites the story’s central conflict

Ensemble: Baseball fans, Coalhouse’s supporters, Volunteer firemen, Newly arrived immigrants, New Rochelle townspeople, Newspaper reporters, Atlantic City vacationers

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