WORKING
A Musical
From the book by Studs Terkel
Adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso
Localized format conceived by Daniel C. Levin for ACT of CT
Wednesday–Friday, October 29–31
7:30 p.m.
Wolf Kuhn Theatre
Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts
Performances are free and open to the public thanks to the Kjell Meling Arts for All Initiative.
- Songs by Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers and Susan Birkenhead, Stephen Schwartz, and James Taylor
- Orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire
- Directed by Mary Beth Geppert
- Vocal Direction by Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber
- Choreography by KT Huckabee
WORKING is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com.
Program Order
- "All the Live Long Day" Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (with acknowledgments to Walt Whitman)
- "Delivery" Music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
- "Ballad of a Professional People Pleaser" Music and lyrics by Kaelin Horton
- "Nobody Tells Me How" Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. Music by Mary Rogers
- "Brother Trucker" Music and lyrics by James Taylor
- "Just a House Wife" Music and lyrics by Craig Carnelia
- "Millwork" Music and lyrics by James Taylor
- "If I Could've Been" Music and lyrics by Micki Grant
- "The Mason" Music and lyrics by Craig Carnelia
- "It's an Art" Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
- "Joe" Music and lyrics by Craig Carnelia
- "A Very Good Day" Music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
- "Cleanin' Women" Music and lyrics by Micki Grant
- "Fathers and Sons" Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
- "Something to Point To" Music and lyrics by Craig Carnelia
Cast Bios
Sydney Barnett (Sharon Atkins, Theresa Bautista) is a fouth-year student pursuing a degree in communications. She has been doing theatre for two years. Most recently, she starred in the play What Comes Next at the Things Unseen Theater. She would like to thank all of the crew and cast who have worked extremely hard to put together the show and create a loving environment. She would also like to thank her family for their love and support. Her performance is dedicated to her father.
Ava Cramer (Candy Cottingham) is a first-year student at Penn State Altoona majoring in criminal justice and minoring in psychology. She was born and raised in DeLand, Florida. This is her acting debut.
Evan Fraenza comes from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He is a first-year student exploring options for his major. This is his first experience on the stage, and he is excited to be involved.
Layna Henry (Delores Dante) is a fourth-year psychology student from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. She hopes to attend graduate school for neuropsychology. This is her first role in a musical, but she is no stranger to the performing arts. For most of her life, she has been heavily involved with dance, playing instruments, especially percussion, and singing. She is a member of Penn State Altoona’s Ivyside Dance Ensemble. Layna is very excited to be trying something new this fall and is looking forward to where it could take her!
Christian Howard (Frank Decker, Allen Epstein) is a graduate of the Integrative Arts program at Penn State Altoona and was an active performer on the college’s stage during his time as a student. He was a recipient of both the Liszka Award and the Kenneth M. Kuhn Memorial Award and was a two-time winner of the National Association of Teachers of Singers vocal competition in the musical theatre category. He also participated in a Masterwork Chorus Festival where he performed in Carnegie Hall with Penn State Altoona's Ivyside Pride choral group. He is the theatre and gallery assistant and stage manager for the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts and is an active member of the local performing arts community.
Yancis Jiménez (Grace Clements, assistant stage manager) is a young aspiring actress from New York City. Dedicated to theatre since she was eleven years old, she has been in many productions including Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Clue: Onstage!, and 12 Angry Men. She is excited to take on this new role on the Penn State Altoona stage. Jiménez is a first-year student studying criminology. She would like to thank the company for "working" so hard and dedicating their time to this. She'd also like to thank her mom and dad for always supporting and pushing her to follow her dreams. She wouldn't have made it this far without them.
Gianna (Gigi) Juart (Terry Mason, Jairo Trujillo) is a first-year student from Altoona studying history education. In high school, she was in four musicals: Beauty and the Beast, as the enchantress; Grease, as Patty Simcox; Bye Bye Birdie, as Ursula Merke; and Shrek the Musical, as Fiona. She was also involved in her school’s chorus and participated in PMEA Districts.
Jacob Krawcion (Gary Goodman) is a first-year student from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, pursuing a degree in psychology. They have performed in the play A Night Under the Stars, but this is their first musical production, and they are excited to continue exploring musical theatre alongside their studies.
Tom Liszka (Joe Zutty, Rex Winship) is an Associate Professor Emeritus of English at Penn State Altoona. He loves Geoffrey Chaucer, his wife, kids, grandkids, the Cubs, and carving pumpkins! He's been in eleven campus productions, including AG[H]AST, The Tempest, and Rail Ties (3 times!!). He’s also been in many productions locally for Altoona Community Theatre (ACT), Cresson Lake Playhouse, Things Unseen Theatre, and 39 Tigers, and even more not-so-locally. He's old. Most recently, he directed ACT's Much Ado about Nothing and built the set for Cinderella. He'd do just about anything for Bonnie and KT, and he's looking forward to knowing Mary Beth better.
Sean Miller (Ralph Warner), from Quakertown, Pennsylvania, is a fourth-year student pursuing a degree in accounting. They played Matthew in Fun during A Night of One Acts and was assistant stage manager for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again]. They are excited to perform in a musical after not having done so since high school.
Emily Pentland (Charlotte Blossom) is thrilled to be a part of this show. Some of her favorite past roles include Flotsam in The Little Mermaid, Issachar in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and as a part of the advanced dance ensemble in Newsies. When not working on stage she is behavioral health technician for Clarvida.
William Porter (Freddy Gomez, Conrad Swibel) is from Dunbar, Pennsylvania. He plans to pursue a degree in computer science. His theatre credits include Gleb Vaganov in Anastasia and Sam Carmichael in Mamma Mia.
Marilyn Pyeatt (Rose Hoffman, Roberta Victor) has been involved in theatre for as long as she can remember and is delighted to share her second experience performing in Working with such a great group of cast members. Since moving to Pennsylvania in 2016, she has performed in a number of shows with area theatres, including My Fair Lady (Henry Higgins’ mother), It’s a Wonderful Life (Ma Bailey), Exit Laughing (Connie), The Wizard of Oz (Wicked Witch of the West), and AG[H]AST at Penn State Altoona. In addition to acting, Marilyn enjoys spending time with her grandkids, singing, writing plays and music and watching sports, especially indoor soccer.
Adria (Jay) Schmidt (Kate Rushton, assistant director) is a third-year student from Helena, Montana, pursuing a degree in English literature. She participates in visual arts, live performances, and filmmaking. Jay has had several written works published and has been the recipient of many awards for her work with the visual arts in secondary school and at the collegiate level. She has worked with Penn State Altoona's theatre department for The Wake of Jamey Foster, Flights of Fancy, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again].
Alex Shcherbina (Mike Dillard, Tom Patrick) is a first-year mechanical engineering student. He comes from a Russian-speaking Ukrainian family. He attributes his ability to communicate and his comfort in front of crowds to his robotics training and competitions. This transfers over well to theatre, in which he has little experience. He has a background in music, playing the guitar and the cello for nearly nine and six years respectively.
Karys Tyrell (Maggie Holmes) is Jamaican American. She was born and raised in Long Island, New York. She is pursuing a degree in early childhood education with a minor in theatre. She participated in middle and high school theatre productions and studied acting outside of her school activities.
Sophia Wise (Amanda Kenney) is currently in her first semester at Penn State Altoona. She intends to study secondary mathematics education. She performed in multiple productions and showcases at Altoona Area High School and is excited to continue performing while in college.
Production Team Bios
Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber (director, vocals) came to Penn State Altoona in 2008. She developed the vocal performance track within the former integrative arts major and the vocal studies minor. She has received many awards for her teaching, including the Athleen J. Stere Teaching Award, The Grace Long Award, and the Penn State Alumni Association Teaching Fellow Award. In addition to teaching, Cutsforth-Huber is a professional classical contralto and is active in opera, oratorio, and concert circuits. She has performed in some of the most prestigious concert spaces in the world, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Cemal Resit Rey Hall in Instanbul, Turkey, Strasbourg Cathedral, and Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral. She holds a bachelor of music in vocal performance from the University of Saskatchewan, a master’s of music in vocal performance from Southern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Kentucky. She also received her YogaSing certification in 2016.
Maxwell Doherty (technical director) is the technical director of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts. He is a graduate of the Penn State School of Theatre where he worked on productions such as Brigadoon, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Seawall, Angels in America, To Kill a Mockingbird, Legally Blonde, and many more. He has also worked on shows for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and The Wonderful World of Animation.
Mary Beth Geppert (director, acting) holds a master’s of fine arts in Shakespeare and performance. Her performance history stretches over forty years ranging from fronting blues bands to acting, producing, directing, teaching, and facilitating academies. She spent years teaching Shakespeare at universities in England and the United States. As theproprietor of Bea’s Performing Arts, NE United States and England, she designed and facilitated workshops for Stratford Youth Hostel, Evesham’s Arts Centre, and Leeds Grand Opera House. She worked with students in drama clubs and taught acting to over 2,000 individuals ranging in age from 5 to adult. In the States, she has facilitated summer academies, began the V-Day Campaign, produced and directed many plays, and served as the catalyst to saving the Clearfield Arts Studio Theatre from tax sale in 2014. Developing human potential through performing arts inspires Mary Beth to keep the arts alive.
KT Huckabee (director, choreographer) received her B.F.A. in dance from East Carolina University and her M.F.A. in dance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She earned her certification in Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in New York, which she utilizes for all her teaching, choreography, and body work in consultation situations with individuals and groups. KT came to Penn State Altoona in 1998 to start the dance program and assist in the development of the former integrative arts major. She is currently a teaching professor of dance and is spearheading the new vision of performing arts at the college which includes an increase in community involvement, collaboration on- and off-campus, and exciting new opportunities and productions for everyone interested. Huckabee utilizes her love of collaboration to find new inspirations for creativity, movement, and program development.
Jenelle Lockard (stage manager) began her involvement in theatre in 1995 working with the late Dick Caram on Penn State Altoona's As You Like It, and she has worked both on and backstage at numerous theatres since. She is a board member of Pennsylvania Association of Community Theaters, Eastern State Theater Association, and is a Pennsylvania representative for American Association of Community Theaters. When not in a theatre, Jenelle can be found teaching kinesiology courses at Penn State Altoona or swimming somewhere in the community.
Rebecca Paige Evers (costume design) is a “Jill of all trades” in the theatre world. In addition to her costume design and choreography work, Rebecca is a professional stage and voice actor. She attended the College of Santa Fe majoring in acting and minoring in dance. She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts. She has designed for theatres across the country and held costume/prop design residencies at Howard College, Fort Salem Theatre New York, Shakespeare in the Park New Jersey, Altoona Community Theatre, The Dallas Children’s Theatre, Central High School, and DFW Performing Arts Conservatory. She is currently the resident choreographer and costume/prop designer at Mount Aloysius College. Paige has performed with Rubber Road New York, The Triad Theatre Manhattan, Le Comedy de Parkside Queens New York, Fort Salem Theater New York, The Firehouse Theater Dallas, Shakespeare in the Park New Jersey, Theatre Britain, The Dallas Theater Center, Theatre Arlington, Runway Theatre, The Dallas Children's Theater, and Uptown Players. She is also the lead singer of the band Model Citizen. As an actor for Crunchyroll, Inc, she has also done voiceover work for several international TV series and anime films.
Benjamin Weaver (lighting designer) graduated from Centenary University in 2021 with a degree in technical theatre. His past credits include serving as the scenic designer for 1984, Avenue Q, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Sweat, and The Wake of Jamey Foster. He was the scenic artist for A Christmas Carol with Centenary Stage Co. and assistant scenic artist for The Evolution of Mann with the American Theatre Group.
Production Team
- Acting Director—Mary Beth Geppert
- Vocal Director—Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber
- Dance Director—KT Huckabee
- Assistant Director—Adria (Jay) Schmidt
- Costumer—Rebecca Paige (Evers)
- Lighting Designer—Benjamin Weaver
- Scenic Design Team—Benjamin Weaver, Maxwell Doherty, Adria (Jay) Schmidt
- Projection Designer—Adria (Jay) Schmidt
- Technical Director—Maxwell Doherty
- Stage Manager—Jenelle Lockhard
- Assistant Stage Manager—Yancis Jiménez
- Production Manager—Kylea Myers
- Sound Board Operator—Eric Wertz
- Light Board Operator—Benjamin Weaver
- Projections Operator—Azaria Drewery
Author Bios
Susan Birkenhead received a Tony nomination, a Grammy nomination, and a Drama Desk award for her lyrics for Jelly's Last Jam. She was nominated for a Drama Desk for Triumph of Love. She was one of the writers nominated for a Tony award for Working and won an Outer Critics Circle award for What about Luv? She wrote additional lyrics for High Society with a book by Arthur Kopit and a score by Cole Porter. She wrote lyrics for Pieces of Eight with Jule Styne and Michael Stewart, Fanny Hackabout Jones with Erica Jong and Lucy Simon, and was one of the contributors to A…My Name is Alice. She wrote The Night They Raided Minsky's with Charles Strouse and Evan Hunter and has just finished Moonstruck with John Patrick Shanley and Henry Krieger. She and Krieger are also currently at work on two new projects. Birkenhead is a member of the Dramatists Guild Council, treasurer of the Dramatists Guild Fund, and a member of the Musical Theater Council of the Manhattan Theater Club.
Craig Carnelia wrote the scores for the Broadway musical Is There Life After High School? and the off-Broadway musical Three Postcards at Playwrights Horizons. He has had a collection of his songs, Notes, presented at the Manhattan Theatre Club and contributed single songs to The No Frills Revue, Diamonds, and A…My Name is Still Alice. Honors include a Tony nomination for Working, a Best Plays citation for Three Postcards, the 1996 Johnny Mercer Award, and the prestigious Kleban Award for distinguished lyric writing.
Nina Faso made her directorial debut with Peter Ustinov's The Unknown Soldier and His Wife. Following a stint with the improvisational comedy group The Committee, she became one of the creators of Godspell and directed most major productions of the show in America and Europe. She then took The Rocky Horror Show from Los Angeles to Broadway. She co-adapted and co-directed the musical Working, based on Studs Terkel's book, for the Goodman Theater in Chicago and for Broadway. She co-wrote the teleplay for Working for the PBS series American Playhouse. She is the author and director of the children's television special The Fable Company and the co-producer and co-director of the short film Sing For Your Life. Among her other directing credits are enjoyed long runs in New York and Los Angeles.
Micki Grant is a lyricist, composer, writer, and performer. An extensive period of collaboration with director Vinnette Carroll at the Urban Arts Corps Theatre resulted in nine musical productions. The most successful were the Broadway musicals Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, in which Grant also starred, and Your Arms Are Too Short to Box With God. I Can’t Cope garnered the Grammy Award for its cast show album, along with five Tony nominations, including one for best musical. Her musical based on the life of George Washington Carver, Don’t Underestimate a Nut, premiered at Omaha' s Theatre for Young People in 1994. She supplied the English lyrics for 20 songs for Jacques Brel Blues, with Andre Ernotte and Elliot Tiber. She was composer/lyricist for J.E. Franklin's Prodigal Sister, contributed to four musical revues based on the oral histories of hospital workers, contributed additional lyrics to Broadway's Eubie, and wrote songs for television’s Infinity Factory. She wrote special material for club singers, and one of her several commercial jingles won her a Two-Off award. Grant's body of work has been celebrated in two off-Broadway musical retrospectives. Grant has performed on and off Broadway and in theatres around the country. For the national tour of Having Our Say, she won the Helen Hayes Award for her portrayal of Sadie Delany. Some of her other awards include the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, NAACP Image and OBIE. Grant was also a practicing, published poet.
Awards and nominations:
- 1978 Tony Award® Best Original Score - Working [nominee]
- 1973 Tony Award® Best Book of a Musical – Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope [nominee]
- 1973 Tony Award® Best Original Score – Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope [nominee]
Productions:
- Your Arms Are Too Short to Box With God Additional music & lyrics [Revival, Musical] (Sep 9, 1982 - Nov 7, 1982), (Jun 2, 1980 - Oct 12, 1980) & (Dec 22, 1976 - Jan 1, 1978).
- It’s So Nice to Be Civilized Book, Music & Lyrics [Original, Musical] (Jun 3, 1980 - Jun 8, 1980).
- Working Music & Lyrics [Original, Musical] (May 14, 1978 - Jun 4, 1978).
- Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope Book, Music, Lyrics, Performer [Original, Musical, Revue, All Black Cast] (Apr 19, 1972 - Oct 27, 1974).
- The Gingham Dog Performer [Original, Play] (Apr 23, 1969 - Apr 26, 1969).
- Tambourines to Glory Performer [Original, Play, Play with music] (Nov 2, 1963 - Nov 23, 1963).
Lin-Manuel Miranda is a Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony award-winning songwriter, actor, director, and producer. Creator and original star of Broadway's Tony-winning Hamilton and In the Heights, his additional Broadway credits include New York, New York, Freestyle Love Supreme (co-founder, producer, 2020 Special Tony Award recipient), Bring It On: The Musical (co-composer/co-lyricist, Tony nomination for Best Musical), and West Side Story (2009 revival, Spanish translations). Miranda is the recipient of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award, the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors, and the 2019 Portrait of a Nation Prize. He has received stars on both the Puerto Rico Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Miranda and the Miranda family are active supporters of initiatives that increase people of color's representation throughout the arts and government, ensure access to women's reproductive health, and promote resilience in Puerto Rico. TV/Film credits include: tick, tick… BOOM!, Vivo, In the Heights, Hamilton (2021 Emmy Award), His Dark Materials, Fosse/Verdon, We The People, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Curb Your Enthusiasm (2018 Emmy nomination, guest actor), Saturday Night Live (2017 Emmy nomination, guest actor), Sesame Street, The Electric Company, House, DuckTales, 200 Cartas, Moana (2017 Oscar nomination, Grammy Award for Best Original Song), Mary Poppins Returns, and Encanto (2022 Oscar nomination for Best Original Song).
Mary Rodgers' credits as a composer began with the Broadway production of Once Upon a Mattress in 1959 and continued with, The Mad Show, Working, The Griffin and the Minor Canon, and scores for the Bil Baird Marionettes and Theatreworks/USA. Her musicals have also been celebrated in the revue, Hey, Love. She is a popular author of fiction for young people, most notably the 1972 novel Freaky Friday, which was made into a Disney Studios motion picture, with a screenplay by Rodgers, a Theatre Works/USA musical (composed by Rodgers) and an ABC TV remake. Rodgers is chairman of the board for the Juilliard School, on the Board of ASCAP, and on the Council of the Dramatists Guild.
Stephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for Wicked. His other scores for musical theatre include Godspell, Pippin, The Baker’s Wife, and Children of Eden. For film, he wrote the songs for The Prince of Egypt and collaborated with composer Alan Menken on the songs for Disney's Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted. In the classical field, he wrote lyrics in collaboration with Leonard Bernstein for Bernstein’s Mass. Accolades include three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, and the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award. In the United States, Schwartz has been inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
James Taylor is a lyricist and composer born March 12, 1948, in Boston. His awards and nominations are: 1978 Tony Award® Best Original Score - Working [nominee] Working, Music & Lyrics [Original, Musical] (May 14, 1978 - Jun 4, 1978).
Music Theatre International (MTI)
Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.
MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 100,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 150 countries worldwide.
MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior® shows are 30-and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.
MTI maintains its global headquarters in New York City with additional offices in London (MTI Europe) and Melbourne (MTI Australasia).
Upcoming Performances in the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts
- Ivyside Dance Ensemble
Nov. 13-14, 7:30 p.m. - VAST Student Gallery Reception
Dec. 4, 4:00 p.m. - Ivyside Pride Performance: Uplifted
Dec. 4-5, 7:30 p.m. - Titelman Cabaret
Dec. 11, 12:15 p.m. - University Jazz Band
Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m.
Donate To Performing Arts at Penn State Altoona
Acknowledgements
- Dr. Ron Darbeau, chancellor and dean
- Leigh Ann Haefner, interim vice chancellor, Academic Affairs
- Dr. Nicholas L. Pyeatt, interim division head, BHHSS
- Jonathan O’Harrow, director, Strategic Communications
- Marissa Carney, media and public relations coordinator, Strategic Communications
- Melissa Wilt, graphic designer, Strategic Communications
- Kylea Myers, theatre and gallery coordinator, Misciagna Family Center
- Christian Howard, theatre and gallery assistant, Misciagna Family Center
- Maxwell Doherty, technical director, Misciagna Family Center
- Benjamin Weaver, technical theatre assistant, Misciagna Family Center
Performances are free thanks to the Kjell Meling Arts for All Initiative.
Penn State encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the box office at the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts by calling 814-949-5452 in advance of your participation or visit.
This publication is available in alternative media on request. Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.