Ball State student actors will bring real working-class citizens to life on the University Theatre stage, beginning Thursday at 7:30 p.m. "Working" is a non-traditional musical that is described as a series of vignettes related only by the reality of work.
The musical was based on a book called "Working" by Studs Terkel that chronicles the lives of real American workers who were interviewed about their jobs. "It is about how the workplace prioritizes people, and how people prioritize work," director Bill Osetek said.
Although the book and musical are similar, the musical will add another element to the story by allowing for the possibility of dreams and fantasies for the characters through song and dance. For example, as each story is revealed on stage, characters may be transported to another place in their imagination where they would much rather be.
Because these characters from the musical actually existed, Ball State student actors spent time researching their characters in order to portray them as best as possible. "Acting allows you to walk in someone else's shoes. It's not about pretending to be someone else; it's about that one moment when you are someone else," Kaitlin Fumarolo, Ball State actress and junior, said.
The director of "Working," Osetek, once had the opportunity to "stand in the shoes" of characters in this musical when he was an undergraduate student. He is now a guest director for Ball State from Drury Lane Productions in Chicago, where he is associate artistic director. "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to direct this musical," Osetek said.
It is also an important opportunity for the Ball State student actors to have the chance to work with a guest director. "Students might learn something differently from another director that they wouldn't have otherwise learned, which helps them when they are looking for jobs," Osetek said. According to him, the business of theatre is also all about networking, where those names that are recognized are mainly those who are hired, so any chance a student has to work with someone new will benefit them in the future.
"'Working' will engage the audience with a show that is different," Fumarolo said. "It relays an important life lesson: Many people start out with dreams and aspirations, but those dreams change simply because life happens."
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