There is a massive influx of immigrants coming to the country, and tensions are rising between inner-city communities of color and white, upper-class suburbanites. It’s the turn of the century, the early 1900s, and America is changing. The Morris Park Players hope to channel the off-beat rhythms of America, and how they come together in their next production, Ragtime, which tells the story of a time of social change in our country’s history.
Named for the musical genre that provided the soundtrack for the era, Ragtime focuses on the perspectives of three disparate communities in New York City, with one protagonist who is a Jewish immigrant, another, an upper-class white mother, and the third a young black musician from Harlem. The show’s director, Adán Varela, said he hopes the story will resonate with audiences; even though we’re past the times of Ellis Island, many of the issues faced by the characters of the play are issues our own communities still grapple with today.
“We want to tell stories about being human,” he said. “And I think we’re going to do it well, here.”
Varela is an opera and classical theater performer by trade but began his foray into directing community theater four years ago, when he headed up his first production in 2019. It was outside of his wheelhouse, but he wanted to begin broadening his experience in the Minneapolis community theater scene. When he went into directing his first show, he thought he very well may never want to direct again, but something clicked. Varela still acts, and works as a graphic designer for Minneapolis Children’s Theater as well, but when he started directing, he said he felt inspired in a way he hasn’t in years. He wants to channel that energy into Ragtime.
This show kicks off the 2023 season for the Morris Park Players, and they hope it will generate some much needed momentum as they try to get back up to speed with their pre-pandemic show schedules. Since 2020, they have slowed down quite a bit, but never stopped performing. They even tried their hands at all-digital productions (think like short films) at the height of COVID isolation. This year, they have one more show lined up for the autumn season, but they hope that Ragtime gives them the kickstart they need to get back to doing two shows per season.
Ragtime premiered on the weekend of March 31, and will continue showing at the Edison High School auditorium each weekend until April 16.
More information about tickets, and how to get involved with the Morris Park Players if you are interested, can be found on their website, www.morrisparkplayers.org.
The Morris Park Players are putting on the musical Ragtime, with performances weekends through April 16 at the Edison High School auditorium. (Photos provided by Loco f/x Photography)
