"Working," a musical based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Studs Terkel, will be staged by the Theatre and Dance Department at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point beginning at 8 p.m., Friday, April 4 in Jenkins Theatre, Fine Arts Center.

Other performances are on Saturday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 6, at 2 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday, April 10-12, at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available at the University Box Office; Room 103A University Center. Tickets also are available using Visa, Master Card or Discover cards by calling (715) 346-4100 or (800) 838-3378.

Admission is $14 for adults, $13 for senior citizens, $9 for youth. Students with a UWSP ID may purchase tickets in advance for $3 or be admitted free the day of the performance if seats remain. A minimal ticketing fee will be charged.

"Working" is appropriate for students in high school and older, but not for younger children due to adult language and situations.

Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso turned Terkel�s best-selling book into the musical, "Working." Terkel�s interviews are theatrically elevated in a series of vignettes. In the musical 12 actors portray selected characters and present a broad range of experiences, occupations and relationships with work.

Workers portrayed include a parking lot attendant, corporate executive, call girl, farm worker, copy boy, teacher, housewife, firefighter, waitress, mill worker, steelworker and cleaning woman.

"The script conveys the words of real people that make it uniquely American and relevant to our time," according to Ellen Margolis, assistant professor of theatre and dance, who directs the show. "The musical honors the strength and creativity of ordinary people as they find meaning and satisfaction in all kinds of work."

Workers sing, dance and talk about their various jobs, sometimes using the whole company to portray one speaker�s experience. Scenes move from one person�s work space to another, as each character describes routines, frustrations, aspirations and triumphs.

"At times, the music expresses a worker�s experience in a literal and explicit way," Margolis said. "At other times, the music illuminates a subtle truth or complex emotion that underlies what the character says."

The book was published in 1974 and the musical opened on Broadway in 1978. Music and lyrics were written by Stephen Schwartz, Micki Grant, Craig Carnelia and James Taylor. Music also was written by Mary Rodgers and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead.

"While it might seem somewhat unlikely to translate such a disparate and challenging array of stories to the musical theatre," Margolis said, "the writers and composers have done a brilliant job of finding a musical idiom that corresponds to the mood or theme of each interview while preserving the actual language of the speaker."

The show is accompanied by a four-piece onstage combo, which includes two keyboards, bass, and drums.

Music directing duties are split between faculty members Roger Nelson and Alan Shorter. Nelson coached the singing performances, accompanied rehearsals and offered musical options to enhance the production. Shorter conducts the performances and plays keyboard.

"The score is a pastiche of pop, folk, rock and Broadway," Shorter said. "Each song examines the life of an individual worker."

Costuming for the show was an exciting challenge, with each of the 12 actors portraying dozens of characters. Costume designer Cathy Tantillo of Mount Prospect, Ill., is a sophomore theatre design and technology major.

Carrie Lande of Ankeny, Iowa, choreographed several of the musical numbers. "Carrie has a wonderful sense of style and a great flair for musical theatre choreography," Margolis said.

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