“Ragtime,” a musical based off the novel by E.L. Doctorow, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in C.Y. Stephens Auditorium. “Ragtime” takes place more than a century ago, but its main themes are still true to America today.

Ticket prices for ISU students and youth tickets are available for $28. Adult tickets are available for $25, $39, $52, $65 and $70. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster and can also be purchased from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Iowa State Center Ticket Office.

“Ragtime” follows the stories of an upper-class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant and a daring young Harlem musician in turn-of-the-20^th-century New York, according to the press release.

The upper classes have the steadfast opinion that only they matter, shown through the lyrics “Ladies with parasols/Fellows with tennis balls/There were no Negroes/And there were no immigrants.”

The musical contradicts this idea, revealing the changing society of the Progressive Era. It is based on E.L. Doctorow’s novel, written in 1975. It weaves historical men and women and events around the fictional characters who represent changes in society. Illusionist Harry Houdini, anarchist Emma Goldman and inventor Henry Ford all leave their mark on the character’s pursuit for a better tomorrow.

In the musical, Mother represents upper- and middle-class women who are liberating themselves from their husbands. The immigrant Tateh hopes to achieve the American dream by working hard. African-American musician Coalhouse Walker, Jr. is wealthy, but local firefighters victimize him for it.

Although society was changing quickly, the central themes surrounding “Ragtime” still sound very familiar a century later. The roots of modern social movements can be found in the musical. This is why the musical and story is still relevant today.

Women then: The women in “Ragtime” are each finding new roles and places for themselves. Evelyn Nesbit is notorious as the first sex scandal. Emma Goldman shows how women began to influence politics. Mother goes from a subservient middle-class wife to a woman in charge of herself, her family and her fate.

Women now: Today, the feminist movement and sexism are still part of the national conversation. We have a woman running for president, and a continual push for more women to occupy higher job positions in society. The wage gap and paid maternity or paternity leave are hot topics for politicians.

African-Americans then: In “Ragtime,” Sarah is an unmarried maid who gives up her child to keep her position. The father, Coalhouse Walker, Jr., is a jazz musician. He is targeted for being successful and harassed by firemen who destroy his car. When Sarah is killed by police, Coalhouse retaliates by setting fires and protesting through occupation of a wealthy man’s library.

The leader of the civil rights movement, Booker T. Washington, who makes an appearance in the musical, wanted economic equality through hard work before social equality. W.E.B. Dubois begins a counter movement against Washington’s ideals that will become the NAACP.

“Wheels of A Dream” is a song about the future offered to African-American children based on the promises of Washington.

African-Americans now: Obama was the first African-American president. Black Lives Matter leads a movement to fight racism, racial targeting by police, and to help LGBTQ POC. The group advocates for those “that have been marginalized within Black liberation movements. [Black Lives Matter] is a tactic to (re)build the Black liberation movement,” according to the group’s website.

Immigrants then: Immigrants arriving in the early 20^th century were generally looking for religious freedom and escaping poverty. They arrived to live in New York slums and work in factories. In “Ragtime,” Tateh struggles in the slums, but finds the American dream by establishing himself as a filmmaker.

Immigrants now: Immigration takes many forms in modern America, including documented, undocumented and through refugee programs. In 2014, an increase in migrant children from Latin America caused an immigration reform crisis. In 2016, Syrian refugees were denied by many states, including Iowa, after an attack on Paris.

“We cannot tell who, among the thousands of Syrian refugees the administration wishes to resettle here, are terrorists,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley.

“Ragtime: The Musical” may feel very familiar to students in 2016. It meshes fact and fiction, history and reality to create a Tony-award winning musical.

For more information on “Ragtime,” visit the Iowa State Center’s website.