Plays about Work, Labor and the Economic System, collected via email from the United Association for Labor Education and the Union for Radical Political Economics lists in August, 2014
Collected by Lynn Duggan. To add your own suggestions, send them to the webmaster.
At bottom is a list put together by Indiana University Bloomington Theatre Department Themester Committee
Work Two Trains Running, by August Wilson
A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry
Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller
Working - musical based on Studs Terkel's interview book.
Nickel and Dimed, based on Barbara Ehrenreich’s book.You can find the adaptation by Joan Holden here:
http://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=3492
Various plays from the Federal Theater Project in the 1930s http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=3978
All the Livelong Day - A version of Barbara Garson's book
Hard Times, the Stephen Jeffreys adaptation of the Dickens novel.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/theater/reviews/17hard.html?_r=0
Pajama Game, Richard Bissell,
Newsies (Musical loosely based on the New York City Newsboys Strike of 1899)
We Were There “a multi-media women's labor history project featuring voices, songs and projected images depicting our sisters' struggles from abolitionist Sojourner Truth, fighting for women's rights to Dolores Huerta fighting on behalf of the farmworkers of today.” http://bevgrant.com/we_were_there/
Staged Action: A collection of six plays from the American Workers' Theatre http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1053&context=books
I just wanted someone to know, play put together from oral histories of women workers written by Joyce Kornbluh (Labor Studies Center at the University of Michigan) and Bette Craig (of the Labor Theatre. The play, published in 1981, might be a great taking off point to use for students to update with newer oral histories.
Can’t Scare Me: The Story of Mother Jones, written and performed by Kaiulani Lee
From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks, written and performed by Ian Ruskin
I am a Man, by OyamO about the Memphis sanitation strike
The Dodo Bird, Brothers for A’ That, Drop Hammer, Elegy for Stanley Gorski, The Second Beginning,
Marked for Success, and Boilermakers and Martini’s by Emmanuel Fried
Love Songs from the Liberation Wars, a new labor jazz opera by Steve Jones
Forgotten: Murder in the Ford Rouge Plant, a labor jazz opera by Steve Jones
Working for a Living, a musical by Elise Bryant and Chris Wakefield
The Full Monty, musical, book by Terrence McNally and score by David Yazbek.
False Promises/Nos Enganaron by Joan Holden (San Francisco Mime Troupe)
Pins and Needles, musical, book by Arthur Arent , Marc Blitzstein, et al, about the garment industry, originated with the ILGWU and ended up on Broadway--
Kinky Boots, musical, music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein.
For Profit --a great one man show about for-profit higher education that has been used by many higher ed unions especially during Campus Equity Week activities. From point of view of a young recent grad trying to pay off his student loans, who gets a job as an "admissions counselor" at a for-profit college. More info search for the title and Aaron Calafato, the writer/actor.
Railroad Bill, by Chuck Portz, from The Labor Theatre (Bette Craig), toured nationally ca 1981.
Don't Iron While the Strike is Hot, a new play about the nineteenth century union leader Kate Mullany: http://www.troyrecord.com/events/20140515/play-panel-discussion-today-focuses-on-labor-pioneer-kate-mullany
Caroline or Change, Tony Kushner's musical (or opera) about the relationship between a black woman working as a maid and young Jewish boy in whose house she works, and their families, and all the characters' relationships to the political events of the civil rights era in their Louisiana town. loosely autobiographical (Kushner was the little boy).
Good Person of Szechuan, Bertolt Brecht, another favorite, is about the economic system: its ruthlessness.
American Buffalo, David Mamet has a similar theme (to Good Person of Szechuan).
Cradle Will Rock, the 1937 musical by Marc Blitzstein.
Waiting for Lefty, by Clifford Odets, about taxi workers making the decision to strike.
Of Mice and Men
The Grapes of Wrath
The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs - despite its title, Mike Daisey's monologue has a lot about iPhone workers in China
Urinetown - this musical isn't about work but is about the econ system, privatization
The Fever - Wallace Shawn's monologue is about the econ system too, the basic inhumanity of capitalism
All Powers Necessary and Convenient, by Mark F. Jenkins is about the firings of university employees during Washington state's red scare
Glory Road – Bill Freeman, about the 1946 Steel Company of Canada strike which split not only the community but several families is classic.
53 Days - Local 2 on Stage - William Shields. Tells the story of the 2004 strike and lockout of the hotel workers of San Francisco and their union, from the workers' perspective. It's good drama, with some humor, and an excellent description of all the components of a comprehensive campaign.
Nuestro Testimonios/Our Stories - We are still at work on this domestic workers' piece, which should be completed this December. (William Shields)
Welcome to the City, William Shields – about tour guides.
Marx in Soho, by Howard Zinn.
John L. Lewis play – (Judy Ancel may soon have info on this.)
George Bernard Shaw’s and Caryl Churchill’s - Some of these socialist playwrights’ plays
New York's Working Theater specializes in plays dealing with working life, offering two or three productions per year.
Play script on the history of the packinghouse workers, drawing upon interviews with former UPWA members and short quotes from Upton Sinclair and Tillie Olsen. Harry Targ
Play representing the reality of work in the mid-80s, by Joan Hill
Billy Elliot , a musical about a young boy from a British coal-mining family who aspires to be a dancer. There's very good context concerning the miners' strike in the Thatcher era.
Pray for the Dead: A Musical Tale of Morgues, Moguls and Mutiny, by Gene Bruskin.
There have been several iterations of the Triangle Factory Shirtwaist Fire, the most recent was Triangle: from the Fire , an oratorio written by Elizabeth Swados to commemorate the centennial of the Fire and performed nationally and internationally--including at the Edinburgh Fringe, I believe.
Lindberg's Flight, Baden Learning Play of Consent, Fatzer, Baal the Asocial, The Yes-sayers and the No-sayers - The "learning plays" of Bertolt Brecht
Table Top by Rob Ackerman
Slaughter City - by Naomi Wallace. A play about a strike at a meat plant. Based on a strike that occurred in the late 80s or early 90s in Louisville, Kentucky.
MacBird! – Barbara Garson, a 1960s play that starred Stacey Keach, Bill Devane, Cleavon Little, and sold over half a million copies as a book.
Security , -- Barbara Garson, a recession comedy.
Barbara Garson also has a play about an office being automated when computers were first coming in in the 1980s, written a group called Women's Office Workers.
Pain in the USPS2 – musical by Tim Hall, 1990s, based on the actual situation at the job at the main postal processing plant in detroit. Tim would want to be involved and possibly revise a few things, since it was written a while ago.
Books:
Staged Action by L. Papa
Staging Strikes by Collette Hyman
Here is an article (in French) from a group in Lyon (France) on the question of plays about labor/ work. Some of these plays might be translated or multilingual in various versions : http://www.bm-lyon.fr/artsvivants/spip.php?article259
Two books from Cornell University Press may be of interest—
http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100703160 (Staged Action: Six Plays from the American Workers Theatre, edited by Lee Papa)
http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100029380(Bedside Manners: Play and Workbook, by Suzanne Gordon et al.)
Programming Suggestions
From Themester Committee, IUB
Richard Bissell, Pajama Game
Marc Blitzstein, Cradle Will Rock
Bertolt Brecht, The Good Person of Szechwan: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/theater/reviews/brechts-good-person-of-szechwan-opens-at-public-theater.html?pagewanted=all
Bertolt Brecht, Drums in the Night
Karel Capek, R.U.R.
Mike Daisy, The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/theater/reviews/the-agony-and-the-ecstasy-of-steve-jobs-review.html?pagewanted=all
Dario Fo, either Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! or Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Joan Holden, Steeltown (A historical action-drama film set in 1890s Pittsburgh about a violent clash between steelworkers and the millionaires who hire them.)
Joan Holden, Nickel and Dimed (based on Barbara Ehrenreich’s book)
Langston Hughes, Harvest
Tony Kushner, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism: http://variety.com/2009/legit/reviews/the-intelligent-homosexual-s-guide-to-capitalism-and-socialism-with-a-key-to-the-scriptures-2-1200474673/
Frank Loesser, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Richard Montoya, American Night, or the Ballad of Juan José: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/nyregion/a-review-of-american-night-the-ballad-of-juan-jose-in-new-haven.html
Mayokovsky, Mystery-Bouffe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery-Bouffe
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman
Lynn Nottage, Intimate Apparel [performed two years ago]
Clifford Odets, Waiting for Lefty
Clifford Odets, Awake and Sing
San Francisco Mime Troup: Posibilidad, or Death of the Worker: http://www.sfmt.org/company/archives/posibilidad/2010.php
Sylvia Regan, The Morning Star (about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire)
Patricia Resnick [?], 9 to 5
Elmer Rice, The Adding Machine
Sophie Treadwell, Machinal
Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie: http://www.woodysez.com