Ragtime Audition Notice

(African American, mid to late 40’s, baritone): He strives to embody and provide the voice of restraint and wisdom for his people in the face the injustices and unimaginably trying circumstances they face. He is polished, educated, and delivers passionate speeches as a means of swaying the direction his people should take in the struggle for racial justice and equality. He speaks with great conviction and authority and is very convincing.

(African American, low to mid-30’s, powerful rich baritone with strong high notes. Low Ab to high A): He is truly the driving engine behind the story. He conveys strength, polish, intelligence and charisma. However, internally, he also reflects the unbridled rage experienced by vast numbers of African Americans at the hands of an oft unjust society that was America in this era. Even so, he controls and channels this rage into a highly calculated, systematic approach to his own brand of justice.

(Caucasian, 50 – 65, baritone): He’s a really crotchety old man. He is the comic relief.

(Hungarian immigrant, 20’s to early 30’s, baritone): He’s a magician who gains worldwide notoriety for his feats as an escapist. He embodies the story of an immigrant’s success in America. He also reflects the rise of the fame and celebrity status that was newly emerging in this era due to vastly improved communication.

(Caucasian, 35 – 45, tenor): “Folksy and full of himself”. No one can doubt the contributions he gave to industrialization in America and the world. His processes for manufacturing lead to the rapid rise of a new class of citizens in this country who enjoyed vastly increased financial gains and creature comforts in the decades that followed. He’s an innovator. His passion for his business is felt and reflected in every waking second of his life.

(Caucasian, 60 – 65, baritone): Morgan represents the upper crust of the country at this time in American history. He is a man in somewhat advancing years who reflects status and wealth, a shrewd financier who is pompous, and oblivious to the plight of the common man.

(Caucasian, 7 – 10, tenor): The young, inquisitive, and slightly unique son of the white family, he is one of the sources of the narrative of the story. He’s intelligent, has sharp diction, is creative and somewhat clairvoyant.

(African American, 18 – 25, alto): She is young, passionately idealistic, naive, and beautiful. She is also uniquely strong-willed for her age and race in this time period. Although the exact circumstances of Coalhouse’s mistreatment of her remain a mystery, Coalhouse makes it his unwavering mission to regain her affection, which he ultimately succeeds in doing. Sadly, their renewed life and love affair is short-lived. In the brief period between their reunion and her death, they display an amazingly deep, rare, and passionate sense of connection. Her death gives rise to the transformation within Coalhouse that leads to devastating effect.

(Caucasian, 25 – 40, tenor): He is the spark that ignites Coalhouse’s mini-revolution. He is the very epitome of racial intolerance. His lack of intelligence and utterly palpable displays of racial superiority echo the deep divisions that existed between the various races, creeds, and ethnicities within the country. He is brash, brazen, abrasive, offensive, and just plain ugly.

(African American, 4 – 6): Coalhouse Walker, Jr.’s son. He appears briefly at the end of the play. He does not have any lines or songs. If you know of a young African American boy 4 – 6 years of age that has great stage presence and would be right for the role of Little Coalhouse, please let us know.

The following roles will be distributed among the ensemble. Roles preceded with an *asterisk have already been cast. ENSEMBLE ROLES: Admiral Robert Peary (Caucasian): Leader of the expedition to the North Pole *Bridget (Caucasian): Mother and Father’s impertinent new maid Charles S. Whitman (Caucasian): Ambitious District Attorney Harry K. Thaw (Caucasian): Husband of Evelyn Nesbit Kathleen (Irish immigrant): Mother and Father’s first maid Matthew Henson (African American): Assistant to Admiral Peary Stanford White (Caucasian): An architect and Evelyn Nesbit’s lover ADDITIONAL ENSEMBLE ROLES Baron Ashkenazy’s Assistant (M/F) (Caucasian) Baseball Fans (M) (Various European nationalities) Black Lawyer (M) (African American) Coalhouse’s Followers (M) (African American) Chorines & Sob Sisters (F) (Caucasian) Clerk (M) (Caucasian) Conductor (M) (Caucasian) Firemen (M) (Caucasian) Harlem Man (M) (African American) Harlem Woman (F) (African American) Immigrants (M/F) (Various European nationalities) Judge (M) (Caucasian) Jurors (M) (Caucasian) Jury Foreman (M) (Caucasian) Man (M) (Caucasian) Militiamen (M) (Caucasian) Mourners (M/F) (African American) Newsboys (M) (Caucasian) People of Harlem (M/F) African American) People of New Rochelle (M/F) (Caucasian) Policeman (M) (Caucasian) Police Officers (M) (Caucasian) Ragtime Band Members (M/F) (African American) Rallyers/Strikers/Workers (M/F) (Immigrants) Reporters (M) (Caucasain) Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate (M) (Caucasian) Sarah’s Friend (F) (African American) Secret Service (M) (Caucasian) Town Hall Bureaucrats (M) (Caucasian) Umpire (M) (Caucasian) Vacationers (M/F) (Caucasian) Vigil Women (F) (African American) Welfare Official (M) (Caucasian) White Attorney (M) (Caucasian)