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Theatre & Box Office |
Reprinted with permission of The Times of Northwest Indiana. Terkel tribute to American worker works From the steelworker to the receptionist to the waitress to the salesman, writer Studs Terkel takes a look at the men and women who almost anonymously keep the country moving with "Working." "It's a tribute to the American worker," said Jonni Pera, director of Valparaiso's Community Theatre Guild's production of the musical. "It talks about workers who people come in contact with every day but may not really think about. They have impact on our lives, but they are sometimes the invisible people. That's how Studs Terkel describes them." Opening today and running through June 11 at Valparaiso's Chicago Street Theatre, the beloved Chicago-based, Pulitzer-prize winning author and historian interviewed from virtually all fields and classes for his book, subtitled "People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do." Published to mass acclaim and sales in 1972, "Working" was brought to Broadway six years later. The musical, which tells the stories of more than two dozen workers, features songs penned specifically for the play by James Taylor and Stephen Schwartz, who lent his talents to musicals such as "Godspell" and Disney's "Pocahontas." "Talking about workers is always timeless because there's always people in the workforce who deserve to be noticed and who may not be getting their due," Pera said. "And even the people that we do notice have stress and strengths that we don't think about. ‘Working' gives us words and gives us insight to things we may not necessarily think about." Along with becoming a favorite production for theatre companies across the country over the years, "Working" was also brought to the small screen in 1982, with Taylor, along with actors Charles Durning, Stockard Channing and Rita Moreno depicting Terkel's workers. Boasting a cast of 30 actors from throughout the region, Pera, who is assisted in her directing duties by musical director Tricia Hales, has had less than a month to bring the musical to the Chicago Street Theatre stage. Yet the abbreviated rehearsal and production time is eased, Pera said, because the actors each spend a limited time on stage. "There are no main actors in this play," she said. "There isn't even really a story line. You don't go from point A to point B in this play. Pretty much each of the actors has their own little monologue and has their own little story to tell. But at any given time in the play, each of the actors is the star of their own little show, and each worker has equal say." "Working" is the final production of the Community Theatre Guild's 49th season. It is also a sneak preview, Pera said, of what will make up the guild's golden season, which will consist of revival productions, when it commences in the near future. The Community Theatre Guild first brought "Working" to the stage in 1992. "Working" is scheduled to run at Chicago Street Theatre at 8 p.m. today, Saturday, July 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10, and at 2:30 p.m. July 11. onstage |
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