After several months of late-night rehearsals, the Upper School’s production of Ragtime ended with a bang. Ragtime tells the story of three different groups of people living in early 20th-century America. Fulfilling the purpose of this story requires every single member of the 112-student cast to work together.
Sixth Former Phil Okala, Jr. has been in several Haverford productions during his time at Haverford, starting with Beauty and the Beast and now culminating in Ragtime.
Beauty and the Beast allowed Okala, Jr. to get comfortable being onstage, while How to Succeed and A Few Good Men pushed his acting skills further. By Ragtime, the years of experience started to come together. Taking on the role of Coalhouse Walker Jr., a very complex and emotional lead role, asked a lot of Okala, Jr. He revealed his key strategy.
“Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Taking on dynamic characters and understanding that you will have to let down a few walls to completely build up the foundation for being someone different every single time you’re on stage, that’s something that can really benefit you in the long run,” Okala, Jr. said.
The moment he wants to relive most isn’t a standing ovation or a breakthrough rehearsal. It’s simpler than that:
“The final bow with everyone together on stage,” he said. “That was a really heartfelt moment.”
Standing with the full cast at the very end meant everything to him after months of rigorous rehearsals. He advised anyone thinking about theater next year to have fun with it.
For Sixth Former Will Bradford, who played Father in the production, Ragtime was both his first and last appearance in a Haverford show. Having a lead role with no prior experience was difficult.
“At first it was a little bit nerve-racking,” he said, “because I felt like I had this responsibility to perform well or else it would be a huge challenge.”
He was walking into a cast where a lot of people had years of experience he simply didn’t have. His character, the people around him, and the theatre experience were all new. Eventually, rehearsals felt less intimidating and more like something to look forward to.
“As I settled into the role a little bit more, I just kept on going and I thought it was really a fun experience,” Bradford said.
Bradford found a way to make his non-theatre background work, and the surrounding cast helped him get there. For Bradford, closing night affected him much differently than he expected, but only having a few months of school until college, Ragtime felt like a preview of every other aspect of his life at Haverford ending.
“I didn’t think I would be as emotional as I was after the show was over,” Bradford said. “It reminded me that my time at Haverford is limited and that it’s coming to an end. But I feel very much rewarded that I got to meet all these new people and build relationships that I probably wouldn’t have had without this experience.”
Bradford’s advice to anyone hesitating about auditioning for next year was as follows:
“I have never been in a production before, and this is the first time I have, and I loved it. If you keep trying new things, you’re going to find something that you just want to keep doing.”
Fifth Former Hugh Williams, playing Younger Brother, felt that Ragtime connected him to people in a way he didn’t quite expect.
“I feel like I connected with more groups of people,” he said. “It was just a great sense of community.”
With 112 people in the cast, there were a lot of new faces, and by the end of the production, a lot of them weren’t strangers to him anymore.
Second Former Raphael Sommer was one of only two middle schoolers in the production, stepping up in his role as Little Boy. Sommer greatly enjoyed his appearance in the show and came out of the experience wanting more.
He said, “I think Ragtime was one of the best shows ever. I loved it, my parents loved it, everybody loved it.”
________ Mr. Hengst, the mastermind of the production, was inspired to direct Ragtime after watching the Broadway production of it in college.
“It was one of those shows that is life-altering for you,” he said. “It hit me in the heart with all the music, the story, the characters.”
Mr. Hengst has wanted to direct this masterpiece for years. The large scale of Ragtime always made it feel like a stretch, and the show came with real challenges. Despite this, what stood out to Mr. Hengst wasn’t any of the hard nights, but watching the students grow.
“It felt like the students and technicians went from just trying to hit their marks to actually becoming storytellers,” Mr. Hengst said.
Wednesday and Thursday of tech week saw this the most, when lighting, sound, acting, and everything else combined in the same room at the same time.
“That’s when I get to take notes and really put the puzzle together,” Mr. Hengst said. “If I were to relive anything, it would be those two nights.”
Okala, Jr. shared Mr. Hengst’s sentiment.
“Nothing is possible without all of the staff and pretty much everyone coming together at the same time, at the same place, to make something so special,” he said.
Mr. Hengst came out of this production more eager for large-scale shows. He is still deciding which shows to direct next year, but is already considering which students are willing to put in the time and effort in order to be fully prepared, and which shows will give them a chance to shine.
“It’s about finding something that can highlight as many people as possible,” Hengst said. “The best part of this job is putting people in position to succeed. You rehearse with these students for months and then you get to watch them take off.”
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