Studs Terkel News

From October 19 to November 19, Woodie King Jr.'s New Federal Theatre, in association with Castillo Theatre, will present the Off-Broadway debut of 'FREIGHT: the five incarnations of Abel Green' by Howard L. Craft, directed by Joseph Megel, starring J. Alphonse Nicholson, at Castillo Theater, 543 West 42nd Street.

Villanova Theatre will kick off the 2017-2018 season with the iconic musical Godspell, directed by Philadelphia favorite Matt Pfeiffer, who took home the Barrymore Award for Best Direction of a Play two years in a row.

Arizona Opera's electrifying premiere of the new American opera Riders of the Purple Sage will be released for broadcast nationally on November 25, 2017.

We spend a large percentage of our lives working in some way or another. Whether someone works in a trade (Ironworker, Stonemason), an office (Project Manager, Receptionist), in the home, or anywhere in-between, working is something that is an integral part of who we are. For some, a person's profession drives their identity, and for others, a job is just something to pay the bills. In all cases, what we do all day and how we feel about what we do serves as a fascinating study, and one that author, Studs Terkel took on over 40 years ago in his 1974 book Working. In the book, Mr. Terkel interviewed over one hundred American workers of all professions (from Fireman to Hooker) and asked them to talk about their jobs. Soon after, Stephen Schwartz (WICKED, GODSPELL) and Nina Faso adapted the book and collected a stellar group of musicians, including James Taylor, Craig Carnelia and Mary Rodgers to help set some of those stories to music. Thus was born WORKING: A MUSICAL, which the Opera House Players in Broad Brook are performing as the opening show to their 2017-2018 season.

Villanova Theatre will kick off the 2017-2018 season with the iconic musical Godspell, directed by Philadelphia favorite Matt Pfeiffer, who took home the Barrymore Award for Best Direction of a Play two years in a row.

Carnegie Hall's 2017-2018 season is around the corner, and we are looking forward to a variety of exceptional programming and exciting new projects. Listed below are jazz, pop, and world music highlights for the coming season.

Opera House Players, Inc. proudly presents WORKING as its season opener September 8 through September 24th at the Broad Brook Opera House. WORKING is a musical based on the best-selling 1974 book of the same name by oral historian and radio commentator, Studs Terkel.  Told in a series of vignettes, WORKING gives a voice to the often-overlooked men and women of the American workforce. The personal stories and songs they share about what they do for a living and how they do it whether funny, wise, or challenging…are never less than inspirational. Nominated for six Tony Awards, this classic has been updated featuring new songs by HAMILTON creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, along with favorites by Stephen Schwartz (WICKED, PIPPIN), James Taylor, and more!

WORKING is the extraordinary genre-defining musical from Grammy and Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell) based on Studs Terkel's best-selling book of interviews with the American workforce: Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do. The show has been adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, the creators of Godspell and Rags, with additional contributions by Gordon Greenberg.

With Wicked going strong across the world, and Hamilton a few months away from its much anticipated West End transfer, it seems like the perfect time for the European première of a reworked musical that features compositions from the pens of both Stephen Schwartz and Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as many others. It continues Southwark Playhouse's varied season, hot on the heels of The Cardinal.

Directed by Luke Sheppard (In The Heights) the cast of Working includes Gillian Bevan (Teachers, Holby City), Dean Chisnall (Shrek, Blood Brothers), Krysten Cummings (Rent), Siubhan Harrison (Guys and Dolls), Peter Polycarpou (City of Angels, Miss Saigon, Oklahoma) and Liam Tamne (Rocky Horror, Les Miserables,The Phantom of the Opera). Completing the cast are rising stars Patrick Coulter, Nicola Espallardo, Izuka Hoyle, Luke Latchman, Huon Mackley and Kerri Norville, who are all making their professional debut. Check out a first look at the cast in action below!

Old Town School of Folk Music, with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), is pleased to announce a free, city-wide concert series, Soundtrack of the City, taking place June 8 - August 20, 2017.

Below, go inside rehearsal for the European Premiere of Stephen Schwartz's WORKING, which will run at the Southwark Playhouse from 2 June until 8 July with a National press night on 7 June!

Completing the cast of the European Premiere of WORKING at Southwark Playhouse are six young performers all making their professional debuts.

The League of Chicago Theatres announces the 2017 Annual Gala, an elegant event that brings together friends of Chicago theatre to raise funds for programs to support Chicagoland's more than 250 member theatre companies. The Chicago theatre community will honor Michael and Mona Heath with the Tribute Award, Cheryl Lynn Bruce with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Lookingglass Theatre Company Ensemble with the Artistic Achievement Award.

???????Gillian Bevan, Dean Chisnall, Krysten Cummings, Siubhan Harrison, Peter Polycarpou and Liam Tamne will lead the cast of the European Premiere of WORKING.

The Producing Unit presents a staged reading of American Dreams, a performance piece exemplifying the broad and varied brands of "American" living. Directed by Peter Frisch and featuring Bill Egan, Tom Hinshaw, Meredith McMinn, Robert Riechel, Jeremy Tristan, and Ivy Vahanian, this series of monologues from a dozen different characters invites audiences to consider the very concept of the "American Dream," and how this socially constructed entitlement varies for each individual-yet exists consistently as a vital thematic goal.

The Johnny Mercer Foundation (JMF) and the American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University announce Stephen Bray, Tony, and Grammy-nominated songwriter for The Color Purple, will join the 12th annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project as a Master Teacher.

irector Timothy J. Evans, presents the World Premiere of Faceless, written by Selina Fillinger and directed by BJ Jones. Faceless runs January 26 - March 4, 2017 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. The press opening is scheduled for Friday, February 3 at 8 pm.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, presents the World Premiere of Faceless, written by Selina Fillinger and directed by BJ Jones.  Faceless runs January 26 - March 4, 2017 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. The press opening is scheduled for Today, February 3 at 8 pm.