Working Theater Announces Spring 2022 Season

A centerpiece of the season is the world premiere of Songs About Trains, a musical exploration of the many cultural communities that built the U.S. rail system. Produced by Working Theater, Radical Evolution, and New Ohio Theatre, this theatrical concert dives headfirst into conversations on immigration, labor, and Manifest Destiny. Created by a multicultural cohort of artists, Songs About Trains questions the complexity of progress while celebrating the diverse communities instrumental in creating the United States as we know it today. The production runs April 5 - 23 at New Ohio Theatre with an opening set for April 10.

Waterwell, in association with Working Theater, will present the U.S. premiere of 7 Minutes. Originally written in Italian by Stefano Massini (The Lehman Trilogy), this production is also the English-language premiere of the play, with a translation by Francesca Spedalieri commissioned by Waterwell. Directed by Mei Ann Teo (SKiNFoLK: An American Show), 7 Minutes will play March 17 - April 10 at HERE in Manhattan. Based on actual events, 7 Minutes depicts an urgent meeting of the 11 women elected to the union council of their rural Connecticut textile factory.

In May, Working Theater will host its annual Bridge Awards and Benefit, which celebrates its 37th season of theater and honors a community member who champions working people and helps to bridge the gap between arts, labor, and community. In June, playwrights and a small production team will gather for developmental readings of new plays from The Mark Plesent Commission Fund.

The spring 2022 season also includes the continuation of Working Theater's longstanding and highly regarded education program, TheaterWorks!, which teaches playwriting and performance to working people and culminates in public performances. A final performance of plays written by 32BJ SEIU and Pathways2Apprenticeship playwrights will take place online on February 22.

Producing Artistic Director Laura Carbonell Monarque commented, "Having spent 18 years under the leadership of Working Theater's long-time leader Mark Plesent and, most recently, partnering with Co-Artistic Director Tamilla Woodard for a remarkable season of online programming, it gives me great joy to welcome audiences back to in-person performances with my inaugural season as Working Theater's Producing Artistic Director. As we enter our 37th season, we are thrilled to embrace new collaborations as we continue to broaden access to brand new works of theater for and about working people- the essential workers we have all come to rely on in New York City and beyond."

More information about Working Theater's spring 2022 season follows. To learn more and to reserve tickets, please visit www.theworkingtheater.org.

Working Theater's Spring 2022 Season

Waterwell, in association with Working Theater, presents

7 Minutes

Written by Stefano Massini

Translation by Francesca Spedalieri

Directed by Mei Ann Teo

March 17 - April 10 at HERE
Based on actual events, 7 Minutes depicts an urgent meeting of the 11 women elected to the union council of their rural Connecticut textile factory. Changes at the factory seem inevitable when new owners take over, giving the council only 90 minutes to vote on a decision with serious consequences for everyone at the factory. Tempers flare and anxieties boil over as individual needs, perspectives and suspicions vie for position while the clock runs down.

Working Theater, Radical Evolution, and New Ohio Theatre present

Songs About Trains

Created by Radical Evolution
Directed by Rebecca Martínez and Taylor Reynolds

Music Director/Arranger: Julián Mesri

Choreographer: Joya Powell

Artistic Producer: Meropi Peponides

Lead Author: Beto O'Byrne

Contributing Authors: Eugenie Chan, Reginald Edmund, Rebecca Martínez, Jay Muskett

An Archive Residency premiere in partnership with IRT Theatre

April 5 - 23 at New Ohio Theatre

Through folk songs from various cultures and imagined letters from those whose stories have been lost to history, Songs About Trains welcomes audiences to an exploration of the many cultural communities that built the US rail system. Produced by Working Theater, Radical Evolution, and New Ohio Theatre, this theatrical concert dives headfirst into conversations on immigration, labor, and Manifest Destiny. Songs About Trains highlights how this pivotal moment in US history helped forge a global superpower, generated unbelievable wealth to a select few, and did so at the expense of thousands of lives, all while inspiring one of the deepest canons of music ever made in this country. Created by a multicultural cohort of artists, this theatrical concert questions the complexity of progress while celebrating the Chinese immigrant, Irish immigrant, Mexican American, African American, Appalachian, and Navajo communities instrumental in creating the United States as we know it today.

2022 Bridge Awards and Benefit

May 2022

Working Theater's Annual Bridge Awards and Benefit celebrates their 37th season of creating theater for, about and with working people, and honors members of the labor and arts communities who champion working people and help bridge the gap between arts, labor, and community. This year's honorees and location will be announced later in the spring.

Working Theater's 2021-2022 Educational and Direct Access Programs

Theaterworks! Playwriting and Performance Program

February 22 at 7pm | Online via Zoom | Free and open to the public

Join us for the final performance of plays written by 32BJ SEIU and Pathways2Apprenticeship playwrights completing the TheaterWorks! program. TheaterWorks! teaches playwriting and performance to working people. In this 10-16-week class, students write and rehearse short theatrical pieces based on their work experiences, and perform them alongside professional actors and directors. Due to COVID-19, this year's final performances will be held online. The 2022 TheaterWorks! program is co-sponsored by The 32BJ Training Fund, Pathways2Apprenticeship, and Working Theater.

Mark Plesent Commission Fund Readings

June 2022
The Mark Plesent Commission Fund supports the commission and development of new plays by working people- in particular, those who have not had the privilege or the resources to self-identify or support themselves professionally as artists, but who have shown extraordinary talent, consistency of practice, and a commitment to writing within the mission of Working Theater. The program launched in March 2021 and will continue into Spring 2022 with the announcement of the next two recipients at our Bridge Awards & Benefit in May, and a public performance of the two existing commissions from inaugural recipients Carlos Cotto and John Keane in June.

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