09/04/2026
Opening weekend of “Ragtime” is over half sold! Better grab your seats!
And now, Evelyn Nesbit!
Meet the real-life players of “Ragtime,” opening September 11 at Theatre Alliance!
Florence Evelyn Nesbit (December 25, 1884 – January 17, 1967) was an American model, Broadway actress, writer, sculptor, and silent film star. Widely recognized as the world's first supermodel,she is best known for her varied career in New York City.
As a model, Nesbit was frequently photographed for mass circulation newspapers, magazine advertisements, souvenir items and calendars. When she was about 14, she had begun working as a model for various artists in Philadelphia. Nesbit continued after her family moved to New York, posing for artists including James Carroll Beckwith, Frederick S. Church and notably Charles Dana Gibson, who idealized her as a "Gibson Girl". She began modeling when both fashion photography (as an advertising medium) and the pin-up (as an art genre) were beginning to expand.
Nesbit entered Broadway theatre in 1901, initially as a chorus line dancer before becoming a featured star. A variety of wealthy men vied for her company, including Stanford White. In 1905, Nesbit married Harry Kendall Thaw, a multi-millionaire with a history of mental instability and abusive behavior. The next year, on June 25, 1906, Thaw shot and killed White in the middle of a highly attended musical performance at the rooftop theatre of Madison Square Garden.
The press called the resulting court case the "Trial of the Century", coverage of which was sensational. Nesbit testified that White had befriended her and her mother when she was performing as a chorus girl, and that when she was about 16 years old, he had given her wine and drugged and then r***d her when she was unconscious. Nesbit and White also had an ongoing romantic relationship after the alleged r**e incident. Thaw was said to have killed White in retaliation for his actions with Nesbit, based on his own obsession with her.
Thaw was eventually acquitted for murder based on an insanity defense. Nesbit visited Thaw while he was confined to mental asylums. After being poorly treated by Thaw's family, she left and toured Europe with a dance troupe, and her son, Russell Thaw, was born in Germany. Later she divorced Thaw and took the boy with her to Hollywood, where she appeared as an actress in numerous silent films. Nesbit wrote two memoirs about her life, published in 1914 and 1934. She died in Santa Monica, California, in 1967. (Wikipedia).
Mykie Upchurch will portray Evelyn Nesbit at Theatre Alliance.
For the second time at Theatre Alliance, "Ragtime" will explode onto the stage with its Tony-winning story of a new America, full of hope for so many. One of the best musicals of our time, "Ragtime" is a theatrical event not to be missed!
At the dawn of a new century, everything is changing... and anything is possible. Set in the volatile melting pot of turn-of-the-century New York, three distinctly American tales are woven together- that of a stifled upper-class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant and a daring young Harlem musician- united by their courage, compassion and belief in the promise of the future. Together, they confront history's timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair... and what it means to live in America.
Special thanks to our Season Sponsor:
Lewis & Keller Attorneys
Media Sponsor:
YES! Weekly
Show Dates!
Friday, September 11, 2026 - 07:30 PM
Saturday, September 12, 2026 - 07:30 PM
Sunday, September 13, 2026 - 02:00 PM
Friday, September 18, 2026 - 07:30 PM
Saturday, September 19, 2026 - 07:30 PM
Sunday, September 20, 2026 - 02:00 PM
Friday, September 25, 2026 - 07:30 PM
Saturday, September 26, 2026 - 07:30 PM
Sunday, September 27, 2026 - 02:00 PM
Performance Location!
Jamie Lawson Auditorium at the Ihrie Theatre
650 W Sixth St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Tickets: $25/$23
Get your tickets now for this beautiful show!
https://theatrealliance.ws/box-office/
