Stephen Schwartz Allows Change to WORKING at Rollins College to Highlight Farmworker Issues

"Un Mejor Dia Vendra" echoes the chorus of a song from Working, a musical based on the 1974 bestseller of the same name by Studs Terkel. "A better day will come." The refrain is sung by a character named Emilio, a migrant farmworker who began picking crops with his family at the age of eight.

The song was removed from Working in 2011, but can be seen in the upcoming production at the Annie Russell Theatre at Rollins College. The show's director, Associate Dean of Faculty Dr. Jennifer Cavenaugh, felt it was important to add the song back into the show, as the role of the farmworker is so significant to the central Florida economy. "There are roughly 200,000 farmworkers in Florida," says Jeannie Economos of the Farmworker Association of Florida. "There are so many issues at play, including immigration, human trafficking, and health and human safety."

Dr. Cavenaugh contacted composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin) personally to ask that "Un Mejor Dia Vendra" be added back into the Rollins version of the production. "It's often difficult to make changes to a script," says Cavenaugh. "Mr. Schwartz believes in the message of this show and understood why the song was important for our community to hear."

"Your desire to include [the song] because of the makeup of your community and audience is commendable," said Schwartz in his correspondence with Rollins. "You have shown great sensitivity and intelligence in how you approached it."

More information on the Annie Russell Theatre's upcoming season, including detailed performance dates and times as well as ticket pricing, may be found at www.rollins.edu/annierussell. For more information on the Department of Theatre and Dance at Rollins College, visit www.rollins.edu/theatredance.