AUDITIONS!
MARCH 1st-2nd, 2025
RAGTIME
A co-production between Stockton Civic Theatre, Delta Drama, and Univ. of the Pacific Conservatory of Music
Performed at the Tillie Lewis Theatre at Delta College
Prepare for Stockton’s musical event “of the century”
Set in the early 20th century, we follow the lives of three diverse groups in America: African Americans, represented by Coalhouse Walker Jr., a talented pianist; upper-class suburbanites, including Mother, Father, and their family; and Eastern European immigrants, embodied by Tateh and his daughter. Against the backdrop of social upheaval and cultural transformation, the characters’ lives intersect and collide, highlighting themes of racial injustice, immigration, and the pursuit of the American Dream.
Music and Lyrics By Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty
Book By Terrance McNally
Directed By – James Haffner
Musical Direction By – Bruce Southard
Auditions – March 1st (1:00pm-5:00pm) – 2nd (6:00pm-10:00pm), 2025
Callbacks (by invitation) – March 3rd, 2025 at 6:00pm
Rehearsals begin – May 27th, 2025
Show Dates – July 10-20, 2025
Open call for Ragtime. Auditioners should prepare 16-32 bars of a Broadway song in the style of the show. Bring sheet music in your key. Accompanist will be provided.
Auditions will take place at Delta College on the Tillie Lewis stage. Please plan to be there at least 15 minutes before your time slot to fill out your audition form.
We are looking for 35+ cast members plus an onstage choir to sing the ensemble songs and support the onstage cast. There is room for everyone in this production.
Those cast in the show will be required to enroll in credit or non-credit courses at Delta College. There is no fee for enrolling in non-credit courses. More information will be provided when the cast list is announced
Additional info: Contact Dennis Beasley at director@sctlivetheatre.com with any questions
RAGTIME CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
ADULT CASTING
Coalhouse Walker, Jr: A proud and talented pianist, confident and stubborn. Sophisticated with a romantic
demeanor and a gentle heart. Should be able to move. Piano playing helpful but not essential.
Male, 25-35
Ethnicity: African Descent, African American
Vocal Range: Ab to G, with a sustained high F#
Sarah: A washwoman, filled with a strong will to live fueled by an innocent spirit, falls deeply in love with
Coalhouse after musch resistance
Female, 20-30
Ethnicity: African Descent, African American
Vocal Range: Lyric Soprano with strong mix, low G# to high F# on staff
Mother: The consummate wife and mother, a kind woman who is gentle, compassionate, optimistic, and
accepting of others.
Female, 30-40
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Vocal Range: Lyric Soprano / Mezzo with strong mix, low G to high Eb on staff
Father: Mother’s professionally successful husband, cautious, resistant to change, fancies himself an amateur
explorer.
Male, 35-50
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Vocal Range: Baritone, B to E on staff
Mother’s Younger Brother: A passionate anarchist, he is intense, obsessive, and high strung, influenced by Emma
Goldman’s teachings.
Male, 25-35
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Vocal Range: Tenor / Baritone with strong top range, B to high F#
Tateh: An immigrant, intelligent, passionate, and creative artist. Full of drive and heart. Wears the trials and
tribulations of hist past on his sleeve. Eastern European / Latvian dialect.
Male, 30-40
Ethnicity: Eastern European / Jewish / Latvian-American
Vocal Range: Baritone / Tenor, Db to high F#
Sarah’s Friend: Passionate, soulful, sings the gospel number for Sarah’s funeral
Female, any age
Ethnicity: African Descent, African American
Vocal Range: Gospel Lyric Soprano or Alto, low G to stratospheric scat top note
Emma Goldman: Eastern European / Jewish immigrant, anarchist
Female 35-60
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Vocal Range: Alto, low G# to Db
Harry Houdini: Hungarian immigrant, internationally famous magician
Male, 30-40
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Vocal Range: Tenor, middle C to high G
Evelyn Nesbit: Vaudvillian performer, the “Marylin Monroe of her time.”
Female, 20-30
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Vocal Range: Soprano / Belter, middle C to Db
Willie Conklin: Irish-American fire chief who is racist and takes out his anger on Coalhouse.
Male, 30-45
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Vocal Range: Tenor / Baritenor
Adult Ensemble:
Booker T Washington, Henry Ford, JP Morgan, Admiral Peary, Matthew Henson, Judge, Grandfather, Kathleen,
Brigit, Attorneys, Bureaucrats, Reporters, Baseball Fans, people of New Rochelle / Harlem / Union Square,
Factory Workers, Firemen, Demonstrators, Vacationers
YOUTH CASTING
Little Boy: An earnest boy who has grown up in privilege. Open hearted to people that are different from him
and has the precocious innocence of youth.
Male, 10-12 years old
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Vocal Range: voice not yet changed
Little Girl: Tateh’s daughter. Her arrival in America is marked by sickness and hunger. She is scared of her new
surroundings and loyal to her father, her only living relative
Female, 10-12 years old
Ethnicity: Eastern European / Jewish / Latvian-American
Vocal Range: Mezzo / Soprano
Young Coalhouse Jr: Innocent and pure. Son of Coalhouse and Sarah. This role appears briefly at the end of the
play and has no lines or songs
Male, 4-6yo
Ethnicity: African descent, African-American