Photo Flash: Trustus Theatre's RAGTIME Begins Tonight

Trustus Theatre is beginning its 29th season with Ragtime (The Musical) an epic show based on the distinguished novel by E.L. Doctorow. The show features a cast of 31 talented performers, one of the largest in Trustus history. Ragtime (The Musical) opens on the Thigpen Main Stage tonight, September 13th at 8:00pm, and runs through Saturday, October 5th, 2013. Get a sneak peek at the cast below!

This acclaimed musical won the 1998 Tony Awards for Best Score, Book and Orchestrations, and won both the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical and Best Score. Ragtime is not only a powerful portrait of life in turn-of-the-century America, but a relevant tale for today. Written by the award-winning composer/lyricist team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Once on this Island, Seussical, and Lucky Stiff), noted playwright Terrence McNally, (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Master Class).

Based on E.L. Doctorow's distinguished novel, Ragtime, The Musical transports us to 1906. First, we visit New Rochelle, New York to meet a well-to-do white family: Mother, Father, their son Edgar, Mother's Younger Brother, and Grandfather. Next, we go to Harlem to meet Coalhouse Walker Jr., a ragtime pianist, and his admirers. Immigrants arrive at Ellis Island and we meet Tateh, an artist who makes silhouettes, and his little girl. These characters' lives intertwine as an epic battle for humanity and justice courses through New York City in the era of ragtime music, asking what the pursuit of the American dream means.

Trustus Company Member Chad Henderson (2012 Jasper Magazine Artist of the Year in Theatre) is at the helm of this larger-than-life production as he directs a cast of over 30 talented performers from the Midlands along with the imaginative choreography of Terrance Henderson. "This is a large scale show for Trustus, without a doubt," says Director Chad Henderson. "This production has been made rich by working with a truly gifted cast. Many of these actors are musicians in their own right, and they're breathing so much life into these characters and this celebrated music."

The cast of Ragtime features Trustus Company Members Terrance Henderson as Coalhouse Walker Jr., G. Scott Wild as Father, Kevin Bush as Mother's Younger Brother, Vicky Saye Henderson as Emma Goldman, Bobby Bloom as Willie Conklin, Elisabeth Baker as Evelyn Nesbit, and Daryl Byrd as Booker T. Washington. Actress Marybeth Gorman returns to the Columbia stage as Mother, and an amazing ensemble of familiar theatre artists bring the citizens of New York City to life on the Main Stage.

The Tony-winning score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty is just as diverse as the melting pot of America. It draws upon many musical styles from the ragtime rhythms of Harlem and Tin Pan Alley to the klezmer of the Lower East Side, from bold brass band marches to delicate waltzes, from up-tempo banjo tunes to period parlor songs and expansive anthems. Jeremy Polley musically directs an orchestra that will bring these various melodies to life on the Thigpen Main Stage.

Ragtime (The Musical) opens on the Trustus Main Stage on Friday, September 13th at 8:00pm and runs through October 5th, 2013. There is no show on Sunday, September 15th. Thigpen Main Stage shows start at 8:00pm Thursdays through Saturdays, and Sunday matinees are at 3:00pm. Tickets are $27.00 for adults, $25.00 for military and seniors, and $20.00 for students. Half-price Student Rush-Tickets are available 15 minutes prior to curtain. Trustus Theatre is located at 520 Lady Street, behind the Gervais St. Publix. Parking is available on Lady St. and on Pulaski St. The Main Stage entrance is located on the Publix side of the building.

For more information or reservations call the box office Tuesdays through Saturdays 1-6 pm at 803-254-9732. Visit www.trustus.org for all show information and season information.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Sharpe