Who's Who in the Cast & Crew: Spotlight on Jeremy Harris

Jeremy Harris,  16

Father/Harry K. Thaw/Willie Conklin

• Which character do you most identify with? Why?
  I most identify with the role Father. In the play, Father has a difficult time adapting to the changes he sees around him.  This includes both societal change as well as social change.  Father is, moreover, fearful of these almost sudden changes in everything around him.  I myself have an extremely hard time adjusting to any change that occurs in my life.  This consists of change in people, change in surrounding, change in self, and so on.  This naturally causes me to become very nostalgic for the past.  The character Father has strong feelings of nostalgia for the past and it is expressed in almost every song the character sings.
  
•  Why should today's audience watch Ragtime?
  Today's audience should watch Ragtime because we as a nation are living through the Turn of the 21st Century and it is very important to see just how far we have come as a nation and to see how much we have changed these last 100 years or so.  Just like in one's life, there is always a perfect time to stop, look back, and reflect on the past because the future really does rely on the events of the past.
• Why is Ragtime relevant to today?
  Ragtime is relevant to America in general.  This show can be played 50 years from now and it will still be just as relevant as it was when even the book was published.  It may not be relevant for the same reasons, but it will always be relevant to the strong Objectivist beliefs that America has held in the past and although it is very little today, it's starting to rise again...unfortunately. (I know, I know! The Objectivist movement didn't happen until 1943 and wasn't fully active until the 1960's, but Objectivism is such a messed up philosophy anyway that Ayn Rand didn't even realize that Objectivist beliefs were very strongly held in the Turn of the 20th Century even though it wasn't labeled "Objectivism" yet. AND, by the way, those strong corporate beliefs led us to something called The Great Depression.... yeah.) Now, I am NOT saying that ALL Objectivist beliefs were held in the Turn of the 20th Century, I'm merely pointing out the Laissez Faire, capitalistic side of it as well as the overly strong beliefs in individualism.  I'm NOT a Communist by the way.

Who's Who in the Cast & Crew: Spotlight on Trevor James Berger

Trevor James Berger, 15

Younger Brother/Stanford White

• In one word, what does Ragtime mean to you?
  Change 
• Which character do you most identify with? Why?
  I identify with Younger Brother because like him, I am always in search for something new and exciting to happen. 
• Why is Ragtime relevant to today?
  It deals with still existing issues in society today. 
• Why should today’s audience watch Ragtime?
  It can give them more perspective on what people in that time went through and how America has been affected by it for good and for bad… change will happen and being open to change can get you far.

Who's Who in the Cast & Crew: Spotlight on Tami Kricheff

Tami Kricheff, 18

Immigrant/Reporter/Assorted Ensemble members

• In one word, what does Ragtime mean to you?
  Discovery
  
• Which character do you most identify with? Why?
  I don't really identify with one character, but I identify with each character in different ways. If I had to choose, probably Emma Goldman. Why? I really have no idea, other than the fact that she is a fighter, and she wants what's right for her group of people. I just like how tough she is and how she won't take crap from anyone because her people were being treated so unfairly, and she is definitely not afraid to speak her mind and fight for what's right.
  
• Why should today’s audience watch Ragtime?
  …it really makes you realize how lucky we are to have access to the things we do, to have supportive family and friends, and it makes you think about what other peoples' misfortunes are and how you can make a difference by understanding where they come from, what they may have had to deal with in life, and how they relate to you.
  
• What do you want the audience to take away from the musical?
  I want the audience to take away that change is inevitable, whether it's for better or worse... it's how you deal with it that shapes your character and our society today as a whole. Remember, everyone has the same rights and no human being should ever feel stepped all over or less than anyone else. Also, don't take anything for granted because once it's taken away, you may never get it back. Oh, and of course... MUSIC. It's a way of life that unites us as people, and it's a language that everyone can speak and read fluently!

Who's Who in the Cast & Crew: Spotlight on Nick Morganella

Nick Morganella, 16

Grandfather/ Assorted Ensemble members

·          

• In one word, what does Ragtime mean to you?Growth
• Which character do you most identify with? Why?I think I identify with Tateh the most because he stands up for what he believes in and does his best to help those close to him.
• Why is Ragtime relevant to today?Ragtime is relevant to today because it represents times of social inequality and the fight to change it, and I believe that those ideas are still present.

References: Music rehearsal with Paul 6-3-11

Here's brief coverage of several things we went over today!

His Name Was Cole House Walker

Stevedores were dockers that loaded and unloaded ships (often cargo) while at port. They worked long hours in all types of weather (popularizing the beanie), had to be physically fit, and were required to have the knowledge and safety precautions in order to conduct machinery. Stevedores did not often have fixed jobs but would show up to the docks every day in the hopes of finding work.

*Fun fact: Stevedore was slang for a person who was overly muscular and foul-mouthed.*

Gettin' Ready Rag
The Charleston was not popular until the 1920s, so Flaherty and Ahrens (the composers of Ragtime) took some creative liberties in making "Gettin' Ready Rag" sound how it does. The Charleston, a dance not a type of music, yet similar to rag music, came out of the African American society. Despite it's origins, the Charleston is most associated with white flapper girls and speakeasies as a way of mocking the Prohibition and "drys." However, as Paul and I discussed on break, if it only became popular in white society by 1923, there's a possibility that it may have floated around in African American communities prior to the 1920s.

Henry Ford
"Speed up the belt, Sam!" refers to Henry Ford's most notable invention, the assembly line. This only made building things like a model T Ford more efficient and affordable, thus increasing output and lowering cost for buyers.

E.L. Doctorow and Social Context for RAGTIME

E.L. Doctorow was the exception. While the rest of America was disillusioned and disheartened by the Vietnam war, Doctorow maintained an extremely liberal outlook for his time, insisting on writing about social awareness and, to put it plainly, compassion.  International and domestic affairs was a blur and America was sitting on the sidelines, tirelessly fighting in a war they could not win, otherwise blind to what Doctorow had to offer.

Publishing Ragtime in 1975 earned Doctorow several critical acclaims, including the Arts and Letters Award in 1975 and the first National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 1976.  Despite it's popular and commercial success, critics viewed Ragtime as a prime example of Doctorow's "radical Jewish humanism."  As a minority in America, Doctorow identified with other oppressed populations, namely immigrants and African Americans.   

Ragtime does not paint a picture of America and its struggles in the 1970s; instead, it uses the framework of an earlier time to address the all too relevant issues of racism, classism, and controversial gender roles. Doctorow employs the turn-of-the-century to outline his own beliefs and express his liberal ideology. 

Ragtime follows the journey of three different families from three vastly different cultures as they attempt to tackle and conquer the American dream.  Each faces adversity in its own way, and all are forced to acknowledge and adapt to the changing times.  Through the eyes of a young boy, we are introduced to the three diverse factions: Harlem African Americans, Jewish Eastern European immigrants, and upper class white Americans.  Each is forced to learn how to live with each other in a merging society on the brink of the Industrial Revolution, the emergence of rag music, and a complete reevaluation of social norms and expectations.

The question isn't if they do or do not cope, but how.

 E.L. Doctorow attended Columbia University for graduate school. 

The New York native published several books before Ragtime, establishing himself as a major American writer.

"Controversial in content and original in style, Doctorow's work often involves serious philosophical probings and the placement of historical figures in unusual and unpredictable situations and settings and challenge the limits of the literary genres on which he draws."

The Typewriter

I already mentioned some basic history about the typewriter in the previous post, but here are some photographs to check out.

This is the Hansen Writing Ball -- 1870, the first typewriter manufactured commercially.

This is the Prototype of the Sholes and Glidden typewriter, 1873, the first commercially successful typewriter, and the first with a QWERTY keyboard. This was not a small, easily transferable object.

However, by 1910, mechanical (or manual) typewriters were fairly common, fully equipped with a type bar -- what you see below.  It was significant because it introduced the shift key, and soon in 1917, a noiseless design enabling the typist to type quietly. Commercially, and ironically, it didn't sell very well. Customers seemed to prefer it's "clickity-clack."