Austin’s Theatre and Texas’ longest running theatre, in the first ever production on the Karen Kuykendall Stage in its new Topfer Theatre, presents the premiere Austin production of
Lyrics by LYNN AHRENS and Music by STEPHEN FLAHERTY
Based on the novel by E. L. DOCTOROW
Directed by DAVE STEAKLEY
Music Direction by ALLEN ROBERTSON
Musical Staging by NICK DEMOS
ZACH’s new Topfer Theatre, 202 South Lamar Blvd., (corner of Riverside Drive and South Lamar Blvd.)
Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m.
RAGTIME Previews Oct. 17-24
Champagne Opening and Press Night is Thursday, Oct. 25, followed by a reception with the stars of show
GLBT Wilde Party pre-show mixer is Thursday, Oct. 18; performances continue through November 18, 2012
To order tickets call 512-476-0541 ext. 1 or visit www.zachtheatre.org. Tickets range from $35-$65. Student Rush Tickets: $18 one hour before showtime (with valid ID). ZACH’s new, full bar opens one hour before showtime and remains open for one hour post-show.
ZACH’s production of RAGTIME features an all-star cast including: Jill Blackwood, Jamie Goodwin, Andrew Cannata, Kia Dawn Fulton, David Jarrott, Meredith McCall, Roderick Sanford, Jennifer Young, & Janis Stinson, with New York guest artists Andrew Foote as Tateh and Kyle Scatliffe as Coalhouse Walker, Jr.
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| (image: Kirk R. Tuck) |
ZACH welcomes a new era with the opening of the Topfer Theatre, and no production is better suited to showcase the deep and inspired talents of ZACH’s full company and new performance space than the uplifting Tony Award-winning musical RAGTIME. More than 50 of Austin’s finest actors, supported by a glorious orchestra, tell the story of how we forged a nation that all people could call home. Bold anthems, Harlem ragtime, and delicate waltzes lift our aspirations for all that we can and will be. RAGTIME will set a new standard for musicals in Austin, so intimate and immediate, that discerning patrons will rejoice at the power of the experience.
ZACH’s Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley says: “In planning the first season at the new Topfer Theatre, I focused on plays and musicals which involve dreams of some kind—chasing the American dream, dreams to which one aspires, literal dreams while sleeping, and the theatre as a place where dreams are realized. I selected RAGTIME to inaugurate the theatre because it is of an epic scale befitting our grand opening, it allows us to use all the new technology we have invested in, it will involve large segments of our community with a cast of 50 actors, it has never been produced locally, it was written by native Texan Terrence McNally, it creates the opportunity to have a full orchestra for the first time in our history, it has roles for youth to perform, it has a multi-racial cast, and thematically it has much to say about this time in ZACH’s life and in our lives as Americans, as some characters welcome and embrace change, while others struggle with it.”
In support of its landmark production of RAGTIME, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded ZACH a $70,000 grant, making this ZACH’s sixth consecutive year of funding from NEA with awards totaling $240,000. ZACH’s grant was one of only three Art Works grants awarded in Texas in the theatre category this year. Additional support for RAGTIME was provided by Gary and Karen Goldstein, and Eric and Maria Groten.
For real-time updates on ZACH Theatre news, events and happenings, visit http://www.zachtheatre.org/blog, be a fan of ZACH Theatre on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/zachtheatre, and follow ZACH on Twitter @zachtheatre http://www.twitter.com/zachtheatre.
About ZACH Theatre ZACH Theatre is Austin’s leading professional producing theatre, employing more than 600 actors, musicians, and designers annually. Founded in 1932, ZACH is the longest running theatre company in Texas, serving 95,000 adults and youth annually. ZACH creates its own nationally recognized plays and musicals that ignite the imagination, lift the spirit, and engage the community under the proven leadership of Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley and Managing Director Elisbeth Challener. Launching its 80th season in 2012, ZACH continues to expand and engage with Austin, adding the new 420-seat, 32,000-square-foot Topfer Theatre to its performing arts campus, nearly doubling ZACH’s capacity while retaining its hallmark intimate theatre-going experience. Visit www.zachtheatre.org for more information.
ZACH Theatre is sponsored in part, by Applied Materials, Austin Catering, Four Hands Home, Holiday Inn-Lady Bird Lake, Kirk Tuck Photography, Marquee Event Group, OnRamp, Austin American-Statesman, KXAN TV 36, and Time Warner Cable; and by grants from Junior League of Austin, The Shubert Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division, which believes an investment in the arts is an investment in Austin’s future. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.
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