Theatre Lab School Musical Production Commemorates 1911 Factory Fire 4/14

The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts will open the musical "Rags" by Stephen Schwartz ("Wicked"), Charles Strouse ("Annie"), and Joseph Stein ("Fiddler on the Roof") on April 14th. The show, written in 1986, focuses on the arrival of Jewish immigrants to New York City in the early part of the last century-an introduction to America that, for some, included work in the notorious sweatshops of the Lower East Side.

The Theatre Lab's production of this little-known musical coincides with the centenary of one of the pivotal events in U.S. labor history. March 25th marked the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The fire was one of the deadliest industrial accidents in American history, causing the deaths of 146 workers, many of them Jewish immigrants, and drawing international attention to poor working conditions and inadequate safety measures in American factories.

Legislation following the incident required improvements in factory working conditions and spurred the growth of the organized labor movement. The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, in particular, grew in numbers and in influence as a direct result of the fire.

In the musical "Rags," one of the principal characters, 17-year-old Bella, is killed in a fire at an unnamed sweatshop, where she is trapped by locked windows and doors. Just as women began striking across the nation following the Triangle Factory fire, fellow garment workers in the musical lead a strike to protest their unsafe working conditions.

The musical quotes directly from history with the song "Bread and Freedom," which references the words of one woman who protested in 1912, saying, "It is not only bread we give our children. . . . We live by freedom, and I will fight till I die to give it to my children."

A post-show discussion on the historical events featured in the musical will follow the April 20 performance, featuring a panel of historians and labor experts.

Rich in dramatic and musical evocation of the period, including elements of ragtime and klezmer in addition to traditional musical theatre styles, "Rags" will appeal to lovers of "Ragtime," "Fiddler on the Roof," and other epic, historically accurate musicals that both celebrate and critique the societies in which they are set.

"Rags" is a production by The Theatre Lab's Creating a Musical Role class, in which theatre students and professionals combine their talents to produce fully realized Musical Theatre Works of surprising complexity.

Performances will be April 14th through the 23rd, Thursdays through Saturdays at 733 8th Street NW, Washington, DC (no performance Friday, April 22nd). April 21st will be a special benefit performance to raise funds for The Theatre Lab's Scholarship Program, which enables disadvantaged youth to attend summer drama camp. For tickets and information, contact 202-824-0449, or visit www.theatrelab.org.