The Theatre Lab Takes On RAGTIME With Teens, Opens 8/11

The Theatre Lab's production of Ragtime, with book by Terrence McNally, music Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, will open August 11. The musical is being produced as part of The Theatre Lab's Musical Theatre Summer Institute for Teens, a four week intensive training program for teens ages 13-19.

Ragtime premiered on Broadway in 1998 and ran for two years before closing in 2000. The original production featured some of Broadway most celebrated talent, including Marin Mazzie, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald. The show received 13 Tony nominations that year. In 2009 The Kennedy Center mounted a revival featuring talent from New York and DC. The revival transferred to Broadway in early 2010 and closed soon after, but still garnered 7 Tony Award nominations.

Ragtime tells the story of the new American that was born out of the dawning of the 20th century. It intersects the lives of three very different people: the matriarch of an upper class New York family, a Harlem musician and an Eastern European immigrant, as they try to make a life from themselves in an ever-changing world. Many true historical figures are represented in the story, including Emma Goldman, Harry Houdini and Henry Ford. Their stories weave together to make a human tapestry that truly represents what America was and could be at the beginning of a new era.

The Theatre Lab's production will be directed by Deb Gottesman with musical direction by Brian Lilley, with additional coaching by Tracy Lynn Olivera and Donna Migliaccio, both members of the 2009 revival cast. Ragtime is one of the two musicals being produced as a part of The Theatre Lab's Musical Theatre Institute for Teens. This four week intensive training program allows participants ages 13 to 19 to work with some of the area's most esteemed directors to rehearse and perform a full musical production. The Institute's goal is to challenge young artists while providing a supportive and caring environment in which to develop. Students receive a wide variety of training in musical theatre disciplines, including vocal production, acting a song, building a character and more.

This is the second time The Theatre Lab has produced Ragtime. The first was in 2004 as part of the Creating a Musical Role course. Deb Gottesman directed that production as well.

Ragtime will run for one weekend, August 11-13, with performances at 7:30 PM and one matinee August 13 at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students. The Theatre Lab is located at 733 8th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. Information and tickets can be found online at www.theatrelab.org or by calling (202) 824-0449.

The Theatre Lab is the largest independent theatre school in Washington, with classes for students of all ages and experience levels. The Theatre Lab is also well known for its community outreach, offering hundreds of scholarships to children, teens, and adults who wouldn't otherwise be able to study acting, as well as Life Stories, a groundbreaking program that brings the tools and techniques of storytelling and filmmaking to marginalized or disadvantaged groups of people.

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