The Best Audition Songs for Ragtime – By Character
When considering audition songs for Ragtime, it’s fitting to choose a dramatic song from musical theatre repertoire that aligns with the tone of the show and suits your vocal type. Always refer to the audition notice for specific guidelines.
Because Ragtime premiered in 1996, the audition songs below are drawn from musicals between the 1980s and 2010s. Each one has been carefully hand-picked and reviewed to ensure it matches the show’s style.
Step 1: Review Audition Info
Please read your audition details carefully, as they sometimes specify the type of song they’d like to hear (a ballad, something uptempo, etc.). Make sure to select a song that’s appropriate for your specific casting call.
Step 2: Study the Show
Before auditioning, you should get familiar with the show, and listening to the cast album is a great way to do that. Here’s where you can learn more about Ragtime.
Step 3: Pick an Audition Song
Before choosing a song, find your voice type and range using the Vocal Guide.
Based on your personality and vocal type, decide whether to audition for the ensemble or a specific character. Whatever you choose, try to stay open to other casting possibilities.
When you’re ready, choose a song from below that best fits your voice and style.
Audition Songs for Ragtime
✨Need more options? The list below gives you a great starting point! The Theatre Trip Repertoire Studio gives you access to thousands of songs, hundreds of monologues, and tools to help you find your casting lane! Explore the Repertoire Studio →
Coalhouse Walker, Jr.
“Golden Boy” – The Wild Party
“Poor Child” – The Wild Party
“Sarah” – The Civil War
“You Should Be Loved” – Side Show
Evelyn Nesbit
“Dimples” – Little Me
“Let’s Be Bad” – Smash
“Show Off” – The Drowsy Chaperone
“The National Pastime” – Smash
Father
“How Can I Call This Home?” – Parade
“I’d Rather Be Sailing” – A New Brain
“I’m a Beast (Reprise)” – Daddy Long Legs
“Words He Doesn’t Say” – Romance/Romance
Henry Ford
“Museum Song” – Barnum
“There Is a Sucker Born Ev’ry Minute” – Barnum
“Yankee Boy” – Rags
“You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” – Annie
Little Boy
“Neat to Be a Newsboy” – Working
“Noah Down the Stairs” – Caroline, or Change
“Whatcha Gonna Do?” – Chaplin
“When Children Rule the World” – Whistle Down the Wind
Little Girl
“Castle on a Cloud” – Les Misérables
“No Matter What” – Whistle Down the Wind
“The Beautiful Day” – Scrooge!
“The Girl I Mean to Be” – The Secret Garden
Mother
“Children of the Wind” – Rags
“My Unknown Someone” – The Will Rogers Follies
“You Don’t Know This Man” – Parade
“Where Is the Warmth?” – The Baker’s Wife
Sarah
“Beautiful” – Marie Christine
“Something of My Own” – Dessa Rose
“Tell Me” – Marie Christine
“We Had a Dream” – The Life
Tateh
“Dressing Them Up” – Kiss of the Spider Woman
“I’ll Be Here Tomorrow” – The Grand Tour
“In My Own Lifetime” – The Rothschilds
“Mrs. S.L. Jacobowsky” – The Grand Tour
Younger Brother
“A World Without You” – Children of Eden
“How Glory Goes” – Floyd Collins
“The Only Home I Know” – Shenandoah
“Why God Why?” – Miss Saigon
🎭 Are you never quite sure which roles to audition for? Take our free Casting Archetype Quiz to see if you’re a villain, ingénue, hero, romantic, or a type that’s even more unique!
Ensemble (Altos)
“A Lovely Day to Be Out of Jail” – The Life
“Black Is a Moocher” – The Wild Party
“Brand New World” – Rags
Ensemble (Baritones)
“Capture the Girl” – Dessa Rose
“I Promise You a Happy Ending” – Mack & Mabel
“It’s Hard to Speak My Heart” – Parade
Ensemble (Basses)
“Funny” – City of Angels
“Grand Parade” – Grand Hotel
“I Waltz Alone” – Grand Hotel
Ensemble (Contras)
“My Child Will Forgive Me” – Parade
“What You Need” – Grand Hotel
“White Milk & Red Blood” – Dessa Rose
Ensemble (Mezzo-Sopranos)
“At the Glen” – Dessa Rose
“Blame It on the Summer Night” – Rags
“Measure the Valleys” – Raisin
Ensemble (Sopranos)
“He Lives in You (Reprise)” – The Lion King
“I’m Leaving You” – The Life
“The Sea of Life” – The Pirate Queen
Ensemble (Tenors)
“Big News!” – Parade
“My Daddy Always Taught Me to Share” – Grind
“Pretty Music” – Parade
Step 4: Select a Monologue
If requested, here are a few audition monologues for Ragtime:
• “Four Ways” from The Piano Lesson
• “I Can’t Write” from The Genius
• “Something Like This” from Call of the Revolution
• “The Best Gift” from Intimate Apparel
• “What War Is” from The Whipping Man
Step 5: Get Your Free Audition Prep Tools
Choosing the right song is just the beginning! Strong preparation helps you walk into the room with confidence and ready to show what you can do.
Get Theatre Trip’s free audition prep resources, including:
☑ Your Audition Prep Checklist
☑ Printable Audition Stamp Cards
☑ Updates when new audition tools are added
Grab your free resources on Patreon→
Ragtime Song List
Here’s a list of the musical numbers in Ragtime, along with which characters sing in each of them. Unless you have been asked to, do not choose from the below songs for your audition! This is more intended to be used for character research purposes.
* That said, if you’ve specifically been asked to sing a song from the show, you can find the sheet music for the best possible audition songs below.
Act 1:
“Ragtime (Opening)” – Company
“Goodbye, My Love” – Mother
“Journey On” – Father, Tateh, Mother
“The Crime of the Century” – Evelyn Nesbit, Younger Brother, Ensemble
“What Kind of Woman” – Mother
“A Shtetl Iz Amereke” – Tateh, Little Girl, Ensemble
“Success” – Tateh, Ensemble
“His Name Was Coalhouse Walker” – Coalhouse, Ensemble
“Gettin’ Ready Rag” – Coalhouse, Ensemble
“Henry Ford” – Henry Ford, Coalhouse, Ensemble
“Nothing Like the City” – Tateh, Mother, Little Boy, Little Girl
“Your Daddy’s Son” – Sarah
“The Courtship” – Coalhouse, Mother, Ensemble
“New Music” – Father, Mother, Younger Brother, Coalhouse, Sarah, Ensemble
“Wheels of a Dream” – Coalhouse, Sarah
“The Night That Goldman Spoke at Union Square” – Younger Brother, Emma, Ensemble
“Gliding” – Tateh
“Justice” – Coalhouse, Ensemble
“President” – Sarah
“Till We Reach That Day” – Sarah’s Friend, Coalhouse, Company
Act 2:
“Coalhouse’s Soliloquy” – Coalhouse
“Coalhouse Demands” – Coalhouse, Ensemble
“What a Game” – Father, Little Boy, Ensemble
“Atlantic City” – Evelyn Nesbit, Father, Houdini, Ensemble
“Buffalo Nickel Photoplay, Inc.” – Tateh
“Our Children” – Mother, Tateh
“Sarah Brown Eyes” – Coalhouse, Sarah
“He Wanted to Say” – Younger Brother, Emma, Coalhouse, Ensemble
“Back to Before” – Mother, Ensemble
“Look What You’ve Done” – Ensemble
“Make Them Hear You” – Coalhouse
“Epilogue” – Company
Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip and the author of The Thespian’s Bucket List. She is also the creator of The Cast Album List. Her background includes a BA in Theatre, a TESOL Drama certificate, and professional experience in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.
