Ithaca College Theatre's 2018-2019 season will include the sweeping and beautiful musical Ragtime, with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty. Based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, Ragtime focuses on the experiences of three groups of people from different cultural and economic backgrounds who are trying to find their ideas of success in early 20th-century America. Characters at the heart of these stories include Coalhouse Walker, Jr., a Harlem musician; Mother, the matriarch of a white, upper-class family living in New Rochelle, NY; and Tateh, a father who has immigrated from Latvia. One child from each of these families has a role in the play.
Because we feel strongly that an important aspect of this musical is the story of generations and of cultural legacies that we leave for our children, the three youngest roles will not be played by college students but will be cast from the community. The children's ages do not need to match that of the characters; we are also happy to consider children whose chronological age might be several years higher, providing they can be reasonably convincing as the age in McNally's libretto.
DATE and LOCATION: Auditions will be held on Wednesday, May 30th in Studio 4 of Dillingham Center (see directions at end of email), 953 Danby Road, Ithaca, NY 14850.
TIME: Children auditioning for Young Coalhouse will be seen from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in half hour groups at 2:00 and 2:30. These children do not need to prepare anything for the audition, which will consist of a movement game and a short interview, which will be recorded.
Young people interested in reading for Little Boy and Little Girl will be seen in half hour groups from 3:00 p.m. – 6:00p.m. Those auditioning for Little Boy and Little Girl will be asked to read a short scene and sing a short excerpt of music. The "sides" (i.e., scenes for audition) and the music selections are attached to this email. If the children are not able to get help learning the music, it will be taught at the beginning of each half hour group. While it is not always reliable to learn music from on-line sources (YouTube or other recordings), if there is no readily available musical help, such recordings can help familiarize the children with the selections.
TO SCHEDULE: Interested parties should contact TJ Lyons at 274-3345 or email tlyons@ithaca.edu to arrange for a half-hour slot and/or ask any questions, as well as request audition materials. All auditions will occur within a half-hour slot. Children auditioning for Little Boy and Little Girl should, to the extent possible, prepare to read the attached scenes and sing the attached music for the character. Memorization is not required.
The guest director for this production is Ithaca College alumnus Eric Jordan Young, who was a cast member of the original Broadway production and the Broadway revival. Because he lives out of state, auditions will be video-recorded for his consideration. [Children or guardians will be asked to sign a release giving permission for such recording. No recordings will be posted on line except on a password-protected site for access by the director and design team.]
Parents will wait in the hallway outside Studio 4 during the auditions.
Children can wear whatever non-restrictive clothing is comfortable for the audition, but no special attire is required.
The characters we are seeking are as follows:
BREAKDOWN OF AVAILABLE ROLES:
Young Coalhouse
Walk-on role (no spoken lines). An African American child to play 3 to 4 years old.
Important Note: This character, Young Coalhouse, appears late in the production, so this will entail being at the theatre in the evening, with the show ending around 10:30pm, in addition to matinee performances. Due to the youth of this role, and to protect the well-being of the child playing this role (and the parents looking after him!), two children will be cast to cover the role, and will alternate performances.
Little Boy
Mother and Father's son. He is open-hearted and curious with inexplicable clairvoyance. Never passes judgment on others.
Gender: Male
Age: 8 to 12
Vocal range top: D5
Vocal range bottom: E4
Little Girl
Tateh's daughter. A confused and vulnerable child in a brand-new homeland, she is guarded and shy. Loves her father very much. Latvian-American.
Gender: Female
Age: 7 to 10
Vocal range top: Bb4
Vocal range bottom: C4
A word on casting choices: we are aware that the casting of roles whose ancestry is specified in the breakdown is a matter in which sensitive judgment and inclusionary practices must be maximized. We want you to know our department's casting policy, and have included for your consideration excerpts from the policy published by Actors' Equity, the union governing professional actors and stage managers:
Casting Policy (Ithaca College Theatre)
"The Department of Theatre Arts is committed to diverse, inclusive casting for every role, while honoring a playwright’s expressed intentions and adherence to licensing agreements."
Ithaca College Theatre Arts Handbook
Excerpted from the Actors' Equity guidelines:
"Equity calls for greater care and consideration by productions when casting roles where the artist’s personal characteristics are relevant to the role. . .
--Make proper use of the occupational requirement provisions in the Equality Act 2010[1] when casting roles written for a character with a diverse background – ensuring that more artists reflect the character’s characteristics where it is relevant. . .
Equity calls for all productions to play their part in improving equality practice across the industry:
--Equity believes that all parts of the industry should develop clear, specific and measurable objectives to promote diversity among casts, audiences and staff.
--Equity calls for the industry to set targets for casting artists from diverse backgrounds. . ."
Endorsed by the Equity Council, June 2015
Please Google “Ragtime musical” for more information about the show. Below are two links you might find useful:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragtime_(musical)
https://www.mtishows.com/news/the-musical-ragtime-is-right-for-the-times
Thank you very much for your interest!
Regards,
Susannah Berryman, Artistic Associate
Catherine Weidner, Chair
Courtney Young, Choreographer
Christopher Zemliuaskas, Musical Direction
DIRECTIONS: Arriving from the Main Entrance (from Route 96B), park in the Visitor Lot. Turn right at the first traffic circle, and then an immediate right into the Visitor Lot. Walk across from the lot to Dillingham Center, which is the building on the right side of the traffic circle. Studio 4 is inside the first ground floor entrance to Dillingham.
INTERACTIVE MAP: https://map.ithaca.edu/#!UMAP_2017083074549%7CBLD_2018011477937
