Ragtime Rehearsal Up-Date

All day yesterday, I listened to one of the greatest musical scores ever written played and sung by a full orchestra and a choir of over 40 incredible voices. Needless to say, I was thrilled. We spent the afternoon rehearsing a 16 piece orchestra - And boy were they incredible. Very rarely does Richmond get the opportunity to hear a full orchestra - 2 Trombones, 2 Trumpets, 2 French Horns, 3 Reeds, 2 Keyboard, 2 Percussionists, a Violin and a Cello and Bass. The nature of this ONE-NIGHT-ONLY event gives us the unique opportunity to gather together some of the best Instrumentalists the Richmond area has to offer. I left that rehearsal confident that hearing that instrumentation the way it was meant to be played was worth the $50 ticket price alone.

The evening hours brought even more excitement. Our ensemble began showing up ready to work. We only had three hours to sing through all of the numerous ensemble numbers in the show. It was more or less Ragtime Boot Camp as we quickly moved from number to number. The intricate music of Ragtime is challenging, but out principal cast and ensemble tackled it with no problem. Hearing this score performed by this number of talented individuals just singing their brains out promised to be an absolutely stunning evening.

See for yourself by playing the brief rehearsal video below. If these guys sound this good at their first rehearsal together, imagine what to expect next week.

See what I mean? If you haven't purchased your tickets yet, please do so now. I spent the entire day yesterday thinking about how important it was for every theatergoer in Richmond to be part of this event.

Click here to purchase you tickets today.

We find it critical to present high-quality productions of socially relevant works. I can't imagine a more relevant show than Ragtime. Three distinctly different families at odds with each other, who come together to be completely accepting and understanding of each other. I think great theatre has the power to entertain and elighten humans, and this show is the more that great art - It is perfect!

I am confident that Stage 1 has the potential to become a leading theatrical force in the Richmond area, bringing high-quality productions of the newest and most original American Plays and Musicals that anyone has to offer. It is with your support at events like Ragtime that will get us there.



See you at Stage 1.



--Chase K.

Ragtime In Rehearsal

Yesterday, we had our first rehearsal for Ragtime: The Musical In Concert, and boy what a thrill it was. From Debra Wagoner's electric interpretation of "Back to Before" to the stunning trio "Journey On", performed by Debra, Richard Koch and Michael Hawke, the afternoon was full of beautiful music and loads of fun. Who wouldn't want to spend an afternoon haning out with Debra Wagoner, Michael Hawke, Robyn O'Neill, Mark Persinger, Lillie Izo and Eric Pastore? This rehearsal only solidified the fact that this event is going to be like nothing else Richmond has seen - All of this talent on one stage for one night only.

I was also thrilled to find out from our incredible Musical Director, Sherri Matthews, that the "Full Orchestra" has now grown to a whopping 19 pieces. When do we get to hear these voices sing with that size orchestra. Simply to hear this score played by a full orchestra would be worth the ticket price alone.


Putting together an evening of this scale surely take a small army. For instance, copying and distributing the scripts and scores to our 50-person ensemble and 19-piece orchestra took a full week of effort from about 5 different individuals. That is only one element of this enormous undertaking - Add full lighting and sound, projections, video editing and simple set up - Then we will have the extraordinary event you will come to expect from Stage 1.

If you have any interest at all in the musical theatre, this is an event you won't want to miss. Trust me. Don't miss this ONE-NIGHT-ONLY event and purchase your tickets now. Thank you for your continued support.

See you at Stage 1 .

Chase K