Randy Jeter Stars In EPAC's RAGTIME

Ephrata Performing Arts Center will present RAGTIME, April 25 - May 11, 2019, at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre. RAGTIME is the Tony Award-winning musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty.

The production will star local professional actor Randy Jeter (Fulton Theatre's GUYS AND DOLLS and Disney's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME) as Coalhouse Walker Jr.

Additional casting includes Heidi Carletti as Evelyn Nesbit, Tricia Corcoran as Emma Goldman, Sean Deffley as Harry Houdini, Yolanda London Dwyer as Sarah, Gene Ellis as Grandfather, Rick Kopecky as Mother's Younger Brother, Preston H. Schreffler as Father, Stacia R. Smith as Mother, Sean Young as Tateh. RAGTIME's ensemble will feature many EPAC regulars including Carl Bomberger, Rogan Motter, Robin Payne and Michael Roman.

Randy Jeter appears through the courtesy of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

RAGTIME's creative team includes Edward Fernandez (director), Kristin Pontz (choreography and musical staging), Zach Smith (music direction), John Kleimo & Andi Jo Hill (assistant directors), Michael Roman (assistant choreographer), Mike Rhoads (scenic design), Jeff Cusano (lighting design), Lisa Harris & Caroline Smith (costume design), Alexander P. Bannon (stage management), Julie Rhine (properties) and Shaun Ressler (sound design).

Based on the famous 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, RAGTIME is an epic musical about America entering a new century. With its glorious score, RAGTIME encapsulates the dream and the reality of an America still striving to define itself, seen through three very different perspectives. Mother is living with her typical white upper-class family in New Rochelle. Coalhouse Walker Jr. is an avant-garde musician living with his girlfriend in Harlem. And Tateh is a Jewish immigrant traveling with his daughter from Latvia to Ellis Island to the Lower East Side tenements. Despite their diverse backgrounds, all three will find their lives inextricably tied together by fate and happenstance. Along the way, they'll also cross paths with Harry Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit, Booker T. Washington, J. P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Admiral Peary, Emma Goldman, and other famous historical figures of the time. Mother is hoping to lead her family in her husband's absence and thrive in her newfound independence; Coalhouse is striving to invent a new type of music and win back his love Sarah; and Tateh is seeking the American dream as an artist and success for the sake of his daughter. But the world is swiftly changing around them; will they be able to keep up?

*Recommended for teens to adults.

Tickets can be purchased at www.ephrataperformingartscenter.com or by calling 717-733-7966 x 1.

Thursday night shows are at 7:30 pm; Friday and Saturday shows are at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $15 - $32.

RAGTIME is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI, 421 West 54thStreet, New York, NY 10019