TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Celebrates 50th Birthday With RAGTIME

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will celebrate its 50th birthday in April 2020 with the return of the timeless hit musical Ragtime, helmed by Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley. This sweeping and stirring musical masterpiece paints a portrait of America at the dawn of the twentieth century, interweaving the lives of three families-white, African American, and immigrant-finding their places and pursuing the American Dream in a rapidly changing world. Featuring the Tony Award-winning book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Terrence McNally (Master Class, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Rink) and the Tony Award-winning score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Once on This Island, Anastasia, Seussical The Musical), the musical is based on E. L. Doctorow's best-selling novel of the same name. An enthusiastic favorite much anticipated by TheatreWorks audiences, Ragtime will begin performances April 1, 2020 and has already been extended by a week to May 3, 2020 (press opening: April 4, 2020) at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St. Mountain View, CA 94041. For tickets (starting at $30) and more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

Ragtime's original 1998 Broadway production was deemed "A colossal hit" by New York Post and received four Tony Awards. Seen on stages across the globe, Seattle Times called a recent production of the musical "still relevant today," proclaiming "If racism and anti-immigrant bigotry, desperate poverty and corrupted wealth are in the headlines today, Ragtime is a compelling reminder that they are part of America's DNA." Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley will helm Ragtime once again-he was lauded for his direction of the hit production at TheatreWorks in 2002, which The Mercury News called "A masterpiece."

TheatreWorks has assembled a phenomenal cast for Ragtime. Broadway actor Leo Ash Evens returns to TheatreWorks as Tateh, a Jewish immigrant seeking to make a new life for himself and his daughter. He has performed on Broadway in productions of Shuffle Along, School of Rock, and Jesus Christ Superstar, and appeared in West Side Story in London's West End as well as the 50th anniversary tour. His Off-Broadway credits include FINKS at Ensemble Studio Theatre and The Secret Life of Bees at Atlantic Theatre Company. Returning to TheatreWorks after being seen in FINKS and Somewhere, Evens has regionally performed with The Old Globe, Theatre Under the Stars, and Pittsburgh Musical Theater, among others.

Celebrating its 50th Anniversary Season, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is the recipient of the 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award. With over 100,000 patrons per year, the Palo Alto-based theatre company has captured a national reputation for artistic innovation and integrity, often presenting Bay Area theatregoers with their first look at acclaimed musicals, comedies, and dramas, directed by award-winning local and guest directors, and performed by professional actors cast locally and from across the country.

For information or to order tickets visit theatreworks.org or call (650) 463-1960