Stepinac Theatre to Present 3 “Ragtime” Evenings Tied to Show’s Timeless Themes — Archbishop Stepinac High School

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – April 5, 2018 – PRLog — The timeless themes of freedom, prejudice and the struggle for equality in America inform Ragtime, the Tony Award-winning musical that the Stepinac Theatre will stage as its spring musical production, performances starting in late April.

Because those themes resonate as powerfully today as they did in the early 1900s in New York City and New Rochelle—the setting for the show based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by E.L. Doctorow—Stepinac Theatre will present three special themed “Ragtime” nights at the 7 pm performances as follows:

Make Them Hear You: A Night for the Parkland Survivors, Saturday, April 28:  In response to the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, proceeds from ticket sales for this performance will go to the Parkland Survivors Fund. Frank Portanova (Class of ’93), Stepinac Theatre Director, said: “Student activists are taking their cause public like those who fought against racial injustice in the 1950s and ’60s.  On this evening, we will honor those who lost their lives and those who are fighting for their legacy of peace and non-violence.”

This is America: A Nation of Immigrants, Friday, May 4. Neighbor’s Link, a Westchester-based organization whose mission is to strengthen the whole community through the healthy integration of immigrants, will be honored as part of the evening’s celebration recognizing the contributions of immigrants to the nation’s history.

The Wheels of a Dream: The Civil Rights Struggle, Saturday, May 5.

Luvaghnn Brown, Westchester resident and one of the 1961 Freedom Riders, will be honored. He and other Freedom Riders traveled in interstate buses into the segregated southern U.S. to challenge the non-enforcement of Supreme Court decisions which ruled that segregated public buses were unconstitutional. The Urban League of Westchester will also be recognized for their 100years of service. Its mission is to enable African Americans and disenfranchised members of the community to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights.

In addition, the League of Women Voters will maintain a voter registration table each night to enable audience members to register to vote as a reminder not only of the importance of the ballot but how this right has also been a struggle throughout U.S. history. “Case in point, women did not have the right to vote at the time that Ragtime took place. Their long and hard-fought efforts for equality in the voting booth would not become the law of the land until 1920,” Portanova added.

Ragtime performances will be staged at Stepinac High School’s Major Bowes Auditorium, 950 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains. Reserved seat ticket prices are $22 for adults and $18 for seniors and children under 12. To order tickets and more information, call (914) 946-4800, Ext. 200.

About Archbishop Stepinac High School

The mission of Archbishop Stepinac High School is to offer young men of the Archdiocese of New York a highly competitive academic and extracurricular program that will prepare them for college and leadership roles. The faculty and staff accomplish these objectives by pursuing excellence and creating a supportive, disciplined atmosphere with a strong sense of camaraderie and Christian values that is unique to the Stepinac experience.