In recognition of the 41st Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Student Commons worked alongside the Black Student Union, TRIO Support Services, Campus Civil Rights and Forward Montana to honor his legacy.

On Jan. 19, they hosted Opera Montana for a preview of their upcoming performance “Ragtime,” a Tony Award-winning musical based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, along with a Q&A with three actors from the show and the conductor.

According to the Director of the Student Commons Sophia Bielsky, the musical engages with themes of prejudice.

“Being able to watch a musical that is focused on sharing these lived experiences of certain communities is really powerful,” Bielsky said. “Ragtime is a musical that centers several different stories that reflect social change throughout time and also their individual experiences.”

Opera Montana held the opening night of “Ragtime” on Jan. 23, and the show will run until Feb. 1. The musical follows a Jewish immigrant family, a white family and a Black family in the Harlem area seeking the American dream.

“Every step that they take forward, they get pushed back by the system or by racism and things that are done to them to make them feel less than,” said Emerald Hart-Ullman, a member of the ensemble and director for community engagement at Opera Montana.

Hart-Ullman said the story is relevant today, as people may see their neighbors struggling and want to help, but do not know how.

“It's interesting that something like that can be mirrored in our own society,” Hart-Ullman said. “[That] can be related to and looked at from a different perspective throughout the show.”

Bielsky said performances like “Ragtime” matter because they use art to tell a story with important underlying messages.

“Art is such a powerful tool, or such a powerful device, in the way that it shows how people respond to social change and the way that they're able to imagine something better together,” Bielsky said.

According to them, the goal of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration was to find an art form that was accessible, meaningful and rooted in the Montana community, which is why partnering with Opera Montana was so important.

“We're really grateful for that, that experience of bringing the arts into our students and our faculty and our staff,” Bielsky said.

Hart-Ullman said the cast has a strong sense of community. “Our principles come from Chicago, New York, Texas, all over the nation. We're really lucky to have so much time together putting the show together that we create this beautiful community and mosaic of people who understand each other,” Hart-Ullman said.

Hart-Ullman said this musical experience brings a variety of powerful messages, helping the audience understand the family’s differing social statuses in the show and how they relate to real-life situations and social systems.

“Hopefully this brings our community together even more to show each other more kindness and to recognize that we're all just people trying to live our lives and experience the human experience,” Hart-Ullman said. “And that rather than be at odds with each other, we should support each other with kindness.”

For more information on Opera Montana's “Ragtime” performance, visithttps://www.operamontana.org/or visit its Instagram @opera_montana.

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