Workshop: Part Deux and Ragtime

This week brought the close of the first term of my second year at Central, the conclusion of my dramaturgical workshop and a bit of Ragtime. It seems like I saw Ragtime last year, so much has happened this week, but, it was only this past Wednesday I found myself a patron at the theatre.

Ragtime is an American musical with a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. It is based on the book of the same name by E. L. Doctorow published in 1975. The book inspired an Oscar-winning film directed by Milos Forman that was released in 1981. The musical opened on Broadway in 1998 and took home 4 Tony Awards. I have long been a fan of the of the show but only knew it through cast recordings and scene work in musical theatre performance classes. I have always wanted to see it on stage and this past week I got my chance. And I am so very glad I did.

The story of Ragtime takes place at the turn of the last century and is set in New York. It follows a multitude of characters, some of historical note, tracing the path of the "American Dream" through three groups of people that crossed paths in the Big Apple; immigrants fresh off the boats from Europe, African Americans struggling for justice, and the white entrepreneur business society who have achieved upper-class status and represent the pinnacle of the "American Dream". Each group has their own trials and struggles as they move through a rapidly changing world.

This is a big show but the producing and artistic teams at the Charing Cross Theatre did a phenomenal job managing the scale for a relatively small stage. The entire company was made up of performers that were able to cover a multiple of parts and some even played instruments to accompany the fantastic musical performances. If I listed all the performers and creatives, this blog entry would become a novel but each and every one certainly deserves a shout out. This was a smart, economical, and powerful production of a story whose themes and concerns still resonate with today's current events.

Saturday was epic in a wholly different way. Diana and I concluded our dramaturgical workshop of Diana's script Moon Rocks and Astronauts. These past two Saturday afternoon's workshops have been insightful and illuminating for both writer and producer. We were so lucky to have brilliant actors who came open and ready to play and explore. Diana feels the workshop helped immensely in discovering the potentials of her script. I, for one, am really looking forward to seeing the next draft. What's next for us? Well, we don't know yet. Diana and I will certainly meet this week and debrief. Much will be dictated by the next draft which will hopefully emerge in the next month or so.

This week brings a few meetings and a lot of reading. It is time now to buckle down on my thesis and start writing. January brings the due date for the first portion. If I get the chance to escape to the theatre again this week, I'll let you know.
In the meantime, enjoy the festivities of the Holiday season!

Take care!
-m