LIBRETTO VOCAL BOOK From the book by Studs Terkel Adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso With additional contributions by Gordon Greenberg Songs by Craig Carnelia Micki Grant Lin-Manuel Miranda Mary Rodgers and Susan Birkenhead Stephen Schwartz James Taylor NOTICE: DO NOT DEFACE! Should you find it necessary to mark eves or cuts, use a soft black lead pencil only. NOT FOR SALE This book is rented for the period specified in your contract. It remains the property of IN ALL MATERIALS Ti MTI MUSIC LIBRARY 31A INDUSTRIAL PARK ROAD (Mvere Tenaras bereananonas NEW HARTFORD, CT 06057 421 West S4th Steet New York, NY 10019 (212) 541.4684 Copyright ©MUSICAL NUMBERS All The Livelong Day Ja. Livelong Day Playoff Rex’s Costume Change. Delivery... Nobody Tells Me How, Brother Trucker. Just A Housewife . Roberta’s Costume Change -. Millwork... If I Could’ve Been... 8. The Mason... Delores Transition. It’s An Art . Joe’s Costume Change Joe... A Very Good Day Cleanin’ Women... . Fathers and Sons.. Something To Point To . Bows / Exit MusicMAN 1 2 4, 6 7. 8 8 All The Livelong Day Delivery Brother Trucker Millwork If Could’ve Been ‘The Mason It’s An Art 13. Fathers and Sons 14, Something To Point To WOMAN 1 7 9 All The Livelong Day Delivery Brother Trucker Just A Housewife . Millwork If 1 Could’ve Been It’s An Art 11. A Very Good Day 12, Cleanin’ Women 14, Something To Point To MAN 2 1 2 4. 6 9 . All The Livelong Day Delivery Brother Trucker Millwork If I Could’ve Been It’s An Art 11. A Very Good Day 13, Fathers and Sons 14. Something To Point To 16 29 31 37 39 53 56 16 29 31 39 47 53 SONGS BY CHARACTER WOMAN 2 6 7, 9. All The Livelong Day Delivery Brother Trucker Just A Housewife .. Millwork If 1 Could’ve Been It’s An Art 12, Cleanin’ Women 14, Something To Point To MAN 3 All The Livelong Day Delivery Brother Trucker Millwork If I Could’ve Been 9.1t's An Art 10. Joe 13. Fathers and Sons 14, Something To Point To WOMAN 3. 1. All The Livelong Day 2. 9. Delivery Nobody Tells Me How Brother Trucker Just A Housewife . Millwork If | Could’ve Been W's An Art 12. Cleanin’ Women 14, Something To Point To 16 2 29 31 39 49 56 16 29 31 39 42 33 56 14 16 2 29 37 39 49Day nt To 31 “WORKING” SONG CREDITS “All the Livelong Day” ‘Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (with acknowledgments to Walt Whitman) “Delivery” Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda “Nobody Tells Me How” Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead Music by Mary Rodgers “Brother Trucker” ‘Music and Lyrics by James Taylor “Just a Housewife” ‘Music and Lyrics by Craig Camelia “Millwork” ‘Music and Lyrics by James Taylor “If | 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 “oe” 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010 nberg. Workine (As the audience enters, they see actors preparing, stage crew setting up the stage, and the stage manager doing pre-show check. On stage, we see 5 desks with large 1970's style reel to reel tape players As house lights go to half, we hear the sounds of the stage manager and crew's ClearCom conversation. They are finishing a conversation as the stage manager calls. ‘Lights 1 Go.’ Once house lights go to “Half”, we hear the stage manager clearly... ) STAGE MANAGER Standby Lights 2 - 6, Video 1 & 2, Border in and Sound 10. (unheard operators reply in the affirmative) House Out, Lights 2 and Border in—go. (lights change and border flies in) Lights 3 and Video 1—go. (as he or she says GO, a projection hits the border. It says: In 1974, Chicago radio broadcaster Studs Terkel published a best selling compilation of interviews ‘with a cross section of Americans talking about their jobs.) Lights 4 and Video 2~go. (the next image appears. It says: In 2007—2008 additional interviews were conducted. Terkel described it as ‘the extraordinary dreams of ordinary people.’ The final image appears. It says: These are their words.) Lights 5, Sound 10, Border out—GO. (as he or she says GO, a reel to reel audio machine on stage starts to spin, and we hear the actual recording of Studs speaking with one of his subjects. Another starts to spin and we hear an overlapping interview. And another. And another. And another. Until it builds to a cacophony.) (Lights change sharply as the band breaks out into the rocking opening vamp, border ‘flies out, revealing actors...) WOMAN 1 I HEAR AMERICA SINGING MAN 1 & WOMAN 2 MAN 3 & WOMAN 1 HEARWorKING MAN 1 & WOMAN 2 MAN 2 & WOMAN 3 THE VARIED CAROLS HEAR MAN 1 & 3, WOMAN 1 & 2 AMERICA SINGING MAN 2 & WOMAN 3 AMERICA, MAN 2, WOMAN 1 & 3 SINGING .. MAN 1 & 3, WOMAN 1& 2 SINGING MAN 1 & 3, WOMAN 1, 2 & 3 SINGING MAN 2 ‘THE MASON SINGING WOMAN 3 ‘THE WAITRESS SINGING WOMAN 1 ‘THE MILL WORKER SINGING WOMAN 2 THE MANAGER SINGING MAN 1 ‘THE FIREMAN SINGING ALL EACH ONE SINGING WOMAN 3 ‘THE TEACHER MAN 1 ‘THE TRUCKER WOMAN 1 & 2, MAN2 ‘THE HOOKERWorkine -3- WOMAN 1 & 2, MAN 1 & 2 ‘THE HOUSEWIFE ALL IHEAR MAN1&3 WOMAN 1 THEAR ‘AMERICA SINGING ‘AMERICA SINGING (The reel to reel players are still spinning - and we now hear them again. This time, though, the actors speak along with the original interviewees, holding the book WORKING or the script.) MAN 1* Every load isa challenge, and when you finally /offload it you get a feeling of completing a job, which I don't think you get in a production line situation, WOMAN 3 | fee! like Carmen in a way, like a gypsy / holding out a tambourine, ya know, and they throw their coins. MAN 3 Pick it up, put it down, pick it up, put it down. / WOMAN 2 It sounds terrible, just a housewife, its true, / what is a housewife? MAN 2 ‘Any man who works with his hands I think takes pride/ in his work. WOMAN 1 like flying and I like people, I really do, with all the great benefits, lying around the world, meeting all these great people. (MIKE DILLARD, IRONWORKER, breaks through the crowd.) MIKE (MAN 3) HEY SOMEBODY, DON’CHA WANNA HEAR THE STORY OF MY LIFE? ONE OF THEM MOVIE COMPANIES T.V. DOCUMENTARIES "The sashes (“/") in the dialogue are mean! to indicate the point at which, the next actor begins speaking overlapping the rst ofthe previa lineWON’CHA COME AND ASK ME PLEASE ‘TO TELL YOU WHAT I DO AT THE STORE (As if counti MEN WOMEN STUCK AGAIN WITH YOU KNOW WHO — ME AND MY OLD PAL WorKING (MIKE) AND PAY ME A MILLION DOLLARS ‘CAUSE IF YOU PAY ME A MILLION DOLLARS I WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO AND DO IT NO MORE ALL ing off) ONE. Two. THREE ... FOUR JUST LIKE THE SONG SAY ALL THE LIVELONG DAY EVERYBODY DONE KNOW THAT SONG WORKING FOR A LIVING THE WHOLE DAY LONG ALL THE LIVELONG DAY HEY SOMEBODY, WON’CHA TURN YOUR HEAD TAKE A LOOK MY WAY WOMEN YM GETTIN’ OLD AND I TELL YOU MEN GETTIN’ OLD AIN'T NOTHIN’ NEW STUCK AGAIN WITH You KNOW WHO- MONDAY MONDAY 1 Y'KNOW RAIN OR SHINE HE'LL BE SHOWIN’ RAIN OR SHINE ME AND MY OLD PAL MONDAY MONDAYWorKING -5- ALL AND ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE, GET THE JUICES FLOWIN’ ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE, GET THE JUICES FLOWIN ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE, GET THE JUICES FLOWIN’ AND IT’S ONE ... TWO ... THREE ... GET GOIN’! JUST LIKE THE SONG SAY ALL THE LIVELONG DAY EV'RYBODY DONE KNOW THAT SONG WORKING FOR A LIVING THE WHOLE DAY LONG. ALL THE LIVELONG MAN 1 & WOMAN 3 MAN 2 & WOMAN 2 JUST LIKE JUST LIKE THE SONG ‘THE SONG SAY JUST LIKE SAY THE SONG SAY NOW ALL THE ALL LIVELONG. ALL THE Day LIVELONG. DAY ‘THE LIVELONG JUST LIKE DAY THE SONG. SAY JUST LIKE THE SONG SAY NOW ALL THE ALL LIVELONG ALL THE DAY LIVELONG DAY THE LIVELONG JUST LIKE JUST LIKE THE SONG THE SONG SAY JUST LIKE SAY THE SONG SAY NOW ALL THE ALL LIVELONG ALL THE DAY LIVELONG. DAY MAN 3 & WOMAN 1WoRKING (MAN 1 & WOMAN 3) (MAN 3 & WOMAN 1) (MAN 2 & WOMAN: ‘THE LIVELONG yusT LIKE DAY THE SONG JUST LIKE SAY ‘THE SONG SAY NOW ALL THE ALL THE ALL LIVELONG LIVELONG DAY DAY ‘THE LIVELONG ALL VERYBODY DONE KNOW THAT SONG WORKING AT LIVING THE WHOLE DAY LONG ALL THE LIVE- LONG DAY! MIKE DILLARD, IRONWORKER (MAN 3) Ya dying breed. A laborer. Strictly muscle work. Pick it up, put it down. Pick it up, put it down. Pick it up, putit down. Typically, in the morning, you wait at the shanty until seven o'clock. You go in at seven, and you start walking your way uP the ladder, climbing up the steel. Every two floors you plank it off. Then you disconnect the bottom of the mast and you tie it to the boom on top of the choking, cable, Then you do the same thing and pick up the other side. I started working structural steel when I was eighteen years old. I've worked on towers probably 1,000 feet high. Most people are afraid of heights like that, so automatically every ironworker has an ego. You're doing something somebody else can’t do, And you get to wear a tool belt: When you're a kid eighteen years old, and you have the wrenches in like a holster, you're like a cowboy. an ironworker. My older brothers were But I always knew I was going to be onworker, so it was a natural course of events. ironworkers and my father was an ir My father... my father was very disappointed I didn’t go to college. (To get off this “personal” topic) We had a college boy at work this summer. One time he saw a book in my back pocket and he was amazed. He says to me: “You read?” That's what can get t0 you—the non-recognition by other people. To say a man is just a laborer, a woman is just a waitress; It bothers you sometimes.WorKine -7- (MIKE) Some mornings, | look across the skyline for a building I worked on, say that office building over there. See that building? I helped build it, And I know some guy is sitting in his corner office behind his five thousand dollar desk, and he’s never gonna think about me. But yeah, I think about him sometimes LL (ln the Chicago production: dressers transformed MIKE in front of our eyes into REX WINSHIP, a hedge fund manager. As the music SNAPS to a close, he BUZZES his assistant, tearing through his office...) iE LIVELONG REX (MAN 3) ‘Amanda! Where is that P & L report? (We hear him on her speaker phone, sitting on her desk om the stage deck as the computer sounds of instant messages and an office are heard as the stage fills with images of cubicles and the lights shift to...) AMANDA MCKENNY, PROJECT MANAGER (WOMAN 2) It’s on your desk. REX Why is it not in my hand?! m. Pick it AMANDA wait at the payor (She looks to audience. Her boss is nota pleasant man to work for.) you ma project manager. I'm here at work at 7:30 AM, [leave at 8 PM. In between my e choking ‘meetings, l answer messages and email—and try to avoid my boss. You always have a boss, Sometimes you have an OK boss, and sometimes you have a Satan boss. He's not behind me is he? I wish these walls were like — a litle higher. I've been in a lot ked on of different cubicles. I've been in the high-wall cubes, I've been in the half-height 80 cubes. Listen ~ the way things are these days, I'm glad to be in any cubicle at all ebody else have friends who would kill for this job, for any job. stent) ANOTHER WOMAN IN CUBICLE (WOMAN 3) I paper the walls of my cubicle with posters. I bring in fresh flowers, brought in my favorite ceramic lamp. This little collection of things on top of my computer ~ I call them “computer gods.” I guess | have more decorations than I thought. But you of event events, know, ina cubicle, things like glow-in-the-dark skeletons go a long way. MAN IN CUBICLE (MAN 1) o Sharing a cubicle is srt of like sharing a bathroom stall. It doesn’t matter how tall re the sides are or how big it is, you're sill in there with someone else — in a not sexy way. woman isWorxinc MAN WEARING HEADPHONES IN CUBICLE (MAN 2) I can see the programmer in the cubicle next to me through the reflection in the window. Sometimes, I can see her reflection and see what she’s doing. Quite often, she's Emailing jokes to her sister. | also acquired a webcam. | set it up so it points behind me and I have a little window on my computer which is the webcam picture, and if somebody walks behind me, I can see them. WOMAN IN CUBICLE (WOMAN 1) | grew up expecting I would get out of college and make a million dollars. I grew up expecting that somebody was just gonna deliver a Mercedes to my front door. It's been quite a rude awakening, This is the first time in four generations that I have it ‘worse than my parents. AMANDA Jobs are not big enough for people. When you ask most people who they are, they define themselves by their jobs: “I'm a doctor.” “I'm a carpenter.” “I'm a sportscaster.” If someone asks me, I say, "I'm Amanda McKenny. At certain points in time, I do things for a living, ” (The cast transitions the set to a fast food restaurant while she continues to speak) My mentality is totally different than the people who are twenty years older, the “fers.” Ihave no real sense of loyalty, because I know they have a business to run and they'll lay me off if it’s prudent. | accept that. I don't perceive that anyone my age thinks: I've got a job for life. What they feel is: Allright, I'm going to get as much as | can from this company, then I'm going to move and get more money. This is the first job of many. (MAN 2 is joined by A DRESSER, who helps him transform into FREDDY RODRIGUEZ, a fast food worker.) FREDDY (MAN 2) THIS IS MY FIRST JOB ISMELL LIKE A BURGER, THE REGISTER IS EASY. HEY, YOU WANNA BURGER? UHIT THE PICTURE OF THE BURGER, EV'RY DAY, THE SAME OLD THING HELLO, CHICKEN NUGGET, QUARTER POUNDER. AND I WAIT FOR THAT PHONE TO RING, THAT PHONE TO RING ‘THE PHONE AT THE END OF THE COUNTERLAN 2) (FREDDY) mn in the WHEN 1 SEE THE MANAGER Quite often, WRITING DOWN AN ORDER on deel, WHEN I SEE THE MANAGER * MAKING CHANGE WHEN SEE THE MANAGER WRITING AN ADDRESS, mI grew up TWHISPER, YES! | soon ts ' GIMME SOME CHANGE AND SEND ME ON MY WAY, okay. are, they I'M OFF ON A DELIVERY! . AND I'M FINALLY ON MY OWN: Dean ta ele) ain points OFF ON A DELIVERY! DELIVERY! PEACE! speak) AND I'M HEADED TO PARTS UNKNOWN! OFF ON A DELIVERY, DELIVERY FRESH AIR AND EXERCISE AND SOMETIMES I'LL THROW IN Serna SOME EXTRA FRIES ‘one my FOR CALLING IT IN TODAY, etas MY WORLD IS GREY oney. This UNTIL THEY SEND ME AWAY ON A. UNTIL THEY SEND ME AWAY ON A DELIVERY! DELIVERY! AND THE WIND IS IN MY HAIR! OFF ON A DELIVERY NO ONE'S WATCHING ME, 1 CAN WANDER ANYWHERE BUT THE FOOD IS GETTING COLD, AND S01 DO AST AM TOLD RESPONSIBILITY 1 HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES.-10~ WorKING (FREDDY) SEE MY FATHER SITS AT HOME HE DOESN'T WORK ANY MORE WHILE MY MOTHER WORKS A DOUBLE SHIFT AT THE DEPARTMENT STORE AND IT'S NICE NOT HAVING TO ASK FOR MONEY AND IT’S NICE NOT HAVING TO ASK FOR DINNER IT'S NICE, ON NIGHTS, WHEN YOU HAVE TO GET AWAY .. MAN 1 & 3, WOMAN 1, 2 & 3] 1 — NEED DELIVERY! 1.GO TO WORK EVERY DAY YM PUTTING MONEY AWAY, HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY, SLOW AND STEADY I’M MAKING MINIMUM WAGE, AH ‘THAT'S PRETTY GOOD FOR MY AGE AH IF CAN MANAGE TO SAVE, AH T'LLBE READY TOGO Y'LL BE READY TOGO WHEREVER I GOTTA GO, AH, AH! WHEREVER DES INY LEADS ME AH, AH! FOR NOW THE RESTAURANT FEEDS ME AH, AH! AND MY FAMILY NEEDS ME { DELIVERY! YES! ‘THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT. WHERE'S MY DELIVERY, MY DELIVERY? THANKS FOR GETTING ME OUT OF THE HOUSE TONIGHT! WHERE'S MY DELIVERY?WorkING -11- WOMAN 1,2 & 3 VERY! oGo IVERY, IVERY? (FREDDY) (MAN 1 & 3, WOMAN 1, 2 & 3) 1 KEEP THE ORDERS STRAIGHT AND I SAY “SORRY” IF 'M LATE YOU'RE LATE! SOME EXTRA NAPKINS FOR YOUR PLATE, FOR MAKING YOU WAIT, THAT'LL BE $12.98 $1298 FOR YOUR DELIVERY! DELIVERY 1CAN WANDER OUT OF RANGE! HERE'S MY DELIVERY, MY DELIVERY! ‘TOWARDS A FUTURE NEW AND STRANGE! HERE'S MY DELIVERY, DELIVERY! THIS JOB IS JUST A START BUT WAIT, 1 HAVEN'T TOLD YOU MY FAVORITE PART IT'S WHEN THEY PAY. AND THEN THEY SAY SAY. SAY, HEY! REX (has only a big bill — hesitates, then hands it to FREDDY) Fuck it. Keep the change. FREDDY KEEP THE CHAN MAN1&3 KEEP THE CHANGE KEEP THE CHANGE KEEP THE CHANGE KEEP THE CHANGE KEEP THE CHANGE HEY, KID, KEEP THE CHANGE!12 - WoRKING (FREDDY) (MAN 1 & 3) (WOMEN) AND BIT BY BIT I KEEP THE CHANGE DELIVERY DELIVERY DELIVERY DELIVERY HEY! IF SAVE A LITTLE EVERYDAY, DELIVERY DELIVERY DELIVERY DELIVERY HEY! THIS JOB’S GONNA DELIVER ME FAR AWAY DELIVERY DELIVERY DELIVERY DELIVERY HEY! VLL LOOK BACK ON THIS AND SAY SAY. SAY. (HAY! SAY. SAY. (HAY! ‘THANK GOD FOR DELIVERY! DELIVERY! DELIVERY! REX T'ma guy who likes to work. Some people enjoy tennis, I enjoy work. I enjoy being a leader. I enjoy being the guy everybody looks to. I like the responsibility of having a team of people working for me. In our world of money, money-management is still the sexiest job there is. Ask any girl at the East Bank Club. Money is hot. True story — they did a study that found that just looking at a Maserati made girls produce twice as many hormones as normal. Oh yeah. If someone wants to call me a shallow douchebag, a corporate tool, a freakin’ ‘robber baron’ — I take it as a compliment. Abso-fuckin-lutely ‘That's what this country is about — the free market. It's not perfect, but if they ‘would leave it alone, it would sure as hell correct itself better than any regulator can. Yeah — Some companies will go away. Some people will lose jobs. And some people will lose money. But that's just basic capitalism.WorKine - 13 - (WOMEN) DELIVERY DELIVERY DELIVERY DELIVERY DELIVERY DELIVERY SAY. SAY. (HAY! DELIVERY! joy being a f having a Ask any at found 6 as orate tool, they ulator can, me people (REX) Who developed America? The regulators? The SEC? Or was it the Mellons, the Rockefellers? I mean, tell me what they did bad? Rockefeller exploited some workers in the copper fields, maybe he shot some of them. Fine. Not perfect. But who benefited? There's still Standard Oil, isn’t there? Mellon's bank is still around. Listen, how many charities were started by these people? How many museums, theatres, national parks—are here for us to enjoy thanks to the “robber barons"? These were the giants who built the cities, who built our country. Unless you have losers, you cannot have winners, (His phone vibrates) Hold on a second. I got to take this. (into phone) ‘Yeah. OK. Give me 5 minutes. Yeah. OK. (to us) Look, I'm going to have to cut this short. I need to get back on the phone before the markets close overseas Everybody works long hours these days. Kid wants to make it, he's gotta be willing to work long hours. And he's gotta know how to outsmart the regulators to make a profit. It's easy. Christ, if you can’t outsmart one little government staff, you shouldn’t come to work in the morning. (aughs) I should be their teacher. You know, I always wanted to teach. That's what I'd like to do when I get tired of all this— get involved with young people. Pass along my knowledge... my experience... my values. (The lights have come up on a TEACHER, an older white female, at an old school blackboard.) ROSE HOFFMAN, TEACHER (WOMAN 3) (Greeting “children” as they enter) Good morning, Hernando, how are you? Good morning, Selena, I missed you. (To us) In your heart, you may have a dislike for a certain child, but you force yourself to say: (Sweetly, to another “child”) Good morning, Manuel, how you doing? (To us) ‘Someone forgot to take his Ritalin this morning,Te WorkiNG (ROSE) My name is Rose Hoffman. I teach third grade. (beat) ‘At9:15, we start with arithmetic. Ihave “tables fun” on the board — multiplication. You don’t say “tables”, you say “tables-fun.” Everything has to be fun, fun, fun. I tell my kids: (Claps hands) Mrs. Hoffman’s here, everybody works! Working is a blessing. In the old days, I had eighteen to twenty children who stayed in my class from the beginning bell to the very end. Today, I have thirty-seven in my class. The children come in, play with their cellphones, and leave... for computer lab, art therapy. Oh, yes, Ihave seen great changes since I began teaching in 1967. (music under) January 6, 1967... My students back then were Polish primarily. I loved the Polish people. They worked hard. MY CLASSROOM WAS ALWAYS A SHOWCASE, IN THOSE DAYS WE DID IT OURSELVES WITH COLORFUL PICTURES AND CHARTS ON THE WALL A SNOWMAN IN WINTER, A PUMPKIN IN FALL AND ALL MY SUPPLIES WERE IN NEAT LITTLE PILES ON THE SHELVES MY CHILDREN WERE ALWAYS RESPECTFUL WHEN THE PRINCIPAL CAME, THEY WOULD RISE IF [HAD TO LEAVE FOR A MINUTE OR TWO ‘THEY ALWAYS FOUND SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE TO DO AND EVERYONE SAT IN THEIR PLACES ACCORDING TO SIZE BUT KIDS DON'T KNOW HOW TO BEHAVE ANYMORE! ASK THEM TO RISE AND THEY ASK YOU: “WHAT FOR?” WE CONFISCATE WEAPONS AND DRUGS AT THE DOOR NO SPITBALLS AND COMIC BOOKS NOW THEY WANT ME TO TEACH IN A CLASSROOM LIKE THAT BUT NOBODY TELLS ME HOW Back shock didn prob OhyWorkine is = ~ multiplication, fun, fun, fun, ne old days, I had ting bell to the in, play with sd the Polish ALL > DO ) SIZE (ROSE) Back then we actually taught English, not English as a Second Language. I'm shocked that English is the second language. When my parents came over, they didn't learn Jewish as a first language at the taxpayers’ expense. We didn’t have problems with focus, with discipline. Of course, in those days we had the paddle. Oh yes, I'm a big believer in corporal punishment. It builds respect ... and trust. I MADE A BIG THING ABOUT SPELLING BUT THEY LEARNED BY THE TIME I GOT THROUGH ‘THEY COPIED THE WORDS TILL THEY KNEW THEM BY HEART TEN TIMES FOR THE DUMB ONES, AND TWICE FOR THE SMART AND GOLD STARS WERE GIVEN ‘TO THOSE WHO MADE SENTENCES TOO BUT WHY BOTHER TEACHING THEM SPELLING TODAY? NOBODY KNOWS HOW TO READ, ANYWAY HOW CAN YOU SPELL WHAT YOU CAN'T EVEN SAY? IT'S “SE HABLA ESPANOL” NOW ‘THE WAY I'VE BEEN TEACHING FOR FORTY -SOME YEARS IS NO LONGER “EFFECTIVE” OR SO IT APPEARS WELL, DAMMIT, IT WORKED FOR ME THEN SO WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT NOW? ‘THEY SAY I'M SUPPOSED TO “KEEP UP WITH THE TIMES” BUT NOBODY EVER TELLS ME How. (Her mood softens as she speaks again. During the following, lights come up on TERRY MASON) There is one girl who stands out in my mind in all my years of teaching ... my favorite ... she wasn’t very bright, but she was never any trouble. I see her every once in a while. She gives no trouble today either. She has the same smile for everyone, TERRY MASON, FLIGHT ATTENDANT (WOMAN 1) ‘The first two months I started flying I had already been to New York, London and Paris. Which is pretty huge when you're from Kankakee, Illinois. But after you start working for the airlines, i's actually not as glamorous as you thought it was going to be. Sometimes, people just get nasty. I mean, they're harassed by security and then they ‘get delivered to us. And your shining personality only goes so far. We get scaredWoRKING (TERRY) sometimes too. I've never yet been so scared that I didn't want to 6 °0 the plane, sat there’ve been times at take-offs when there's been something funny. and we had a load full of passengers and the ke an emergency landing in Chicago the nose gear is gonna (One time I was working first class, captain tells me we're going to have to mal tesause we lost a pin out of the nose gear. When we land, collapse, So, he wants me to prepare the whole cabin for this landing, but not for oeber two hours, And not to tell the other flight attendants, Because they're new and would get all excited. So [had to keep this in me... for two hours... and I'm wondering, J gonna die today? And I'm serving drinks and food. And this guy Bet mad at me because his ‘omelette’s too cold. I was gonna say, (big stewardess smile) i “You just wait buddy. You're not gonna have to worry about that fucking omelette.” When I told my parents I was going into the airlines, they B0t 59 excited. My mother especially thought it would be great that I could have the ambition, the nerve to 8° to the city on my own and try to accomplish something, Really, I just wanted to get ‘out of Kankakee. (Sound of whistle... becomes the sound of a truck's horn (Our focus shifts to FRANK DECKER, an interstate trucker. Music vamp starts) FRANK (MAN 1) tf you want to have a tril, there's no comparison, not eve to a jet plane, to | arreping on steel truck and going out there onthe Dan Ryan Express) ‘ninute you climb into that truck, you forget about the wife and kids you just kissed goodbye and the adrenaline starts pumping BREAKER NUMBER NINE, BIG BUDDY i PUT YOUR EARS ON FOR ME NOW i BIG TRUCKER GOT TO HAVE A BIG LIE SO COME ON, BROTHER TRUCKER YA GOT TO COME BACK, MOTHER... KEEP SEIN’ DOUBLE ‘LESS 1 CLOSE ONE EYEWorkine So (FRANK) 1GOT TO ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, BROTHER TRUCKER SURE ‘NUFF ASHAMED ‘BOUT THE SHAPE I'M IN ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, BROTHER TRUCKER on the plane, ny pee YM BACK ON MY WHEELS AGAIN » Chicago ar is gonna MEN but not for ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, BROTHER TRUCKER they're new FRANK OUTWARD BOUND FROM SOUTH BEND nI gonna die MEN e because his ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, BROTHER TRUCKER FRANK oo I'M BACK ON MY WHEELS AGAIN YM RUNNIN’ OUTTA WHITES GOD DAMN DIM THOSE HEADLIGHTS ed. My mother e nerve to go wanted to get FOUR HOURS SLEEP IN THE LAST TWO NIGHTS BUT I'M GONNA BE ALRIGHT, 1GoT TO ts to FRANK or MEN MAN 2 ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, BROTHER TRUCKER ISAY WHERE, AND YOU SAY WHEN. ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, BROTHER TRUCKER ... ne, to way, The FRANK Du just kissed YM BACK ON MY WHEELS AGAIN. MAN 2&3 1GOT TO, MEN ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, BROTHER TRUCKER FRANK BACK IT ON UP AND DO IT AGAIN MAN 2 &3 BACK IT ON UP! MEN ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, BROTHER TRUCKER= 18 WoRKING FRANK YM BACK ON MY WHEELS AGAIN ROL FRANK WOMEN BRO You're gone for a week, two weeks, picking up a a load at one port, delivering it to another. ant ! You sit in that truck, your only companionship . is your own thoughts. And you don’t want to xe ee ee ‘ home. So you turn up your radio, if you can iw play it loud enough to hear over the engine Yeah, we truckers fantasize something ‘AH, AH, AK. x tremendous. You think about the gitl behind AH, AH, AH. - that voice, and you build something up in AH, AH, AH. 4 your mind until you begin to believe it ® MOON OVER NEW JERSEY YM IN A HURRY 00H, WON'T YOU LET ME GO IN PEACE? I AH, I’M INDEPENDENT AH, 1 AIN'T GOT NO TEAMSTER DOUGH | FRANK WOMEN MEN (EXCEPT FRANK CAUSE THE A-F OF -L ROLL, AND THE C-O ROLL, THEY STILL DON'T ROLL, ROLL, OWN THE ROAD ROLL, ROLL, AND THE ONLY MAN AND THE ONLY MAN AND THE ONLY MAN ‘TELLIN’ ME WHERE ‘TELLIN’ ME WHERE ‘TELLIN’ ME WHER TOGO TOGO ToGo 18 THE MAN WHO 18 THE MAN WHO 18 THE MAN WHO OWNS THE LOAD (OWNS THE LOAD OWNS THE LOAD HE SAYS AND HE SAYSWOMEN | (EXCEPT FRANK] OLL, DLL, SLL, ND THE ONLY MAN LLIN’ ME WHERE GO THE MAN WHO. VNS THE LOAD WorKING - 19 - FRANK WOMEN MEN (EXCEPT FRANK) ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL BROTHER TRUCKER BROTHER TRUCKER BROTHER TRUCKER ISAY WHERE [AND YOU SAY WHEN Icor To ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL BROTHER TRUCKER BROTHER TRUCKER BROTHER TRUCKER I'M BACK ON MY 00H, OOH, WHEELS AGAIN ISAY IsAy ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL. ROLL, ROLL, ROLL BROTHER TRUCKER BROTHER TRUCKER BROTHER TRUCKER BACK IT ON UP BACK ITON UP, AND DO IT AGAIN ISAY oon, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, BROTHER TRUCKER BROTHER TRUCKER BROTHER TRUCKER I'M BACK ON MY BACK ON MY BACK ON MY MY WHEELS AGAIN MY WHEELS AGAIN MY WHEELS AGAIN BROTHER, BROTHER, I'M BACK ON MY I'M BACK ON MY BACK ON MY WHEELS AGAIN! WHEELS AGAIN! WHEELS AGAIN! 1GOT TO. 1GOT TO. 1GOT TO ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, BROTHER TRUCKER BROTHER TRUCKER BROTHER TRUCKER BACK IT ON UP BACK IT ON UP BACK IT ON UP AND DO IT AGAIN AND DO IT AGAIN AND DOIT AGAIN ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, ROLL, BROTHER TRUCKER BROTHER TRUCKER BROTHER TRUCKER YM BACK ON MY WHEELS. BACK ON MY WHEELS: BACK ON MY WHEELS AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN BROTHER TRUCKER! BROTHER TRUCKER! FRANK BACK ON MY WHEELS AGAIN20 - Workine (FRAN! Coming home to your wife can be a sorta let down. She has to raise the kids, she has to fight off the bill collectors. She can’t even count on her husband to be at a graduation or a communion. When you do get home, you're so tired you'd rather be sleeping than getting ready to go out on a Saturday night. I make two round trips to Evansville and pass within four blocks of my house and never go home. Easier to just keep on going. So you call your wife and tell her you won't be back... (Talking into phone) Hey honey, ... Hello? (gets cut off) Effing phone company. OPERATOR'S VOICE, RAJ (MAN 2) Verizon tech support, this is Johnnie—how may I help you? FRANK Yeah, this number isn’t working and I have like five bars. OPERATOR'S VOICE I'm sorry you're having trouble sir. May I have the number you were calling? FRANK s t s ' Yeah, 219-765-5910. OPERATOR'S VOICE Ym sorry, sir, all circuits in your area are busy .. FRANK What? Jesus, I can’t understand anything you're saying. What's wrong with you guys? OPERATOR'S VOICE Y'm sorry, sir. Why don’t you wait five minutes, then place your call (FRANK slams receiver down, and as he does, lights go out on him and come up on RAJ CHADHA, an operator.) RAJ (MAN 2) (Finishing his sentence after FRANK has hung up) again. You'd think they'd be grateful to get alive person instead of a computer. Sometimes you really want to talk to them, if they sound upset. For me it’s a temptation to say, “Gee, what's the matter?” But you can’t say more than “I'm sorry you're having trouble.”WorkING 21 he kids, she has ‘be at a you'd rather be 0 round trips to ne, Easier to ck. alling? with you ome up on r. Sometimes you to say, “Gee, ng trouble,’ (RAJ) If you get caught talking to a customer, that’s one mark against you. Three marks and you're... One woman said to me, “Operator, I'm lonesome. Will you talk to me?” Isaid, “Gee, I'm sorry, Ijust can’t.” But you cant. (Laughs) I'ma communications person, and I can’t communicate. SHARON ATKINS, RECEPTIONIST (WOMAN 1) So, | always thought of a receptionist as the loser at the front desk taking phone messages. Now I'm one. So of course I had to change my opinion. She had to be special, right? Because I'm so special. I was fine until we had this office party. I'd be having a fairly intelligent conversation with someone when they'd ask me what I did, When I'd say, ” I'm a receptionist,” they’d make an excuse and walk away. So, now I make up other names for what I do — “communications control,” “entry management”. (RAJ swivels back so now both HE and SHARON are facing us. NOTE: The following contrapuntal speeches should be rehearsed so certain key words or phrases which are the same in both speeches occur at the same time.) RAJ SHARON It’s strange, but you get tired of talking I'm tired at the end of the day, tired of My mouth gets tired cause you talk talking. There isn’t a ten-minute break constantly for six hours straight without a in the day that’s quiet. You can’t think ten-minute break. You can’t think about it. ‘What I do all day is say what I have to Everyone is in a hurry to talk to somebody say as quickly as possible and switch else, but not to talk to you. You're ina room —_the call to whoever it’s going to I notice the size of a gymnasium surrounded by people have asked me to slow down people talking to people thousands of miles when I'm talking, away. SHARON I never listen in on a phone conversation. RAJ Do I listen in on conversations? SHARON But let me tell you .. BOTH Some people really do RAJ SHARON Especially if you're working late at night. Tonce worked for AT & T and all the girls Sometimes people on the line are so used to listen in on phone conversations absurd, you'll sit there and laugh until I don’t care who you are, if you work there's tears rolling down your face nights and it's real quiet, you're going to listen in on phone conversationsWoRKING RAJ It makes the night go faster SHARON Sometimes, to make the day go faster, do drawings, Mondrian sort of things never people I pretend I'm alone and things are quiet. cal tthe Land ‘of No Phone. RAJ & SHARON I never answer the phone at home. (Sound ofa phone ringing .. a woman picks up . lights come up on KATE. ‘SHE looks out at us, a litle flustered ..) KATE RUSHTON, HOUSEWIFE (WOMAN 2) Hello? Oh, Ym sorry, no thank you. My husband gets the paper atthe office and I read it on line. No, I don’t have an office ~ I don't work. I work, | work, of course work .. it's just... I don’t have a job. Anyway, thanks for the offer. (hangs up) ma stay at home mom. I guess in my mother’s day they would have called me a housewife. That's funny. It’s not lke I sit around watching soap operas all day- Thave a lot of work to do. (music under) You just want something more exiting to talk about at dinner party, you know You know, something that matters. What I do only matters to three people ALL AMIS JUST A HOUSEWIFE NOTHING SPECIAL, NOTHING GREAT WHAT I DOIS KINDA BORING 1f YOU'D RATHER, IT CAN WAIT ALL AM IS SOMEONE'S MOTHER ALL AM IS SOMEONE'S WIFE ALL OF WHICH SEEMS UNIMPORTANT ALLITISIS JUST MY LIFE. DO THE LAUNDRY, WASH THE DISHES ‘TAKE THE DOG OUT, CLEAN THE HOUSE ‘SHOP FOR GROCERIES, LOOK FOR SPECIALS GOD, IT SOUNDS $O MICKEY MOUSEWorKING ie of things — \d of No Phone. \TE. SHE looks 2) office and I rk, of course called me as all day, you know, ple. (KATE) DROP THE KIDS OFF, PICK THE SHIRTS UP ‘TRY TO LOSE WEIGHT, TRY AGAIN KEEP THE TROOPS FED, PICK THEIR THINGS UP LOSE YOUR PATIENCE COUNT TO TEN. (Lights come up on OTHER HOUSEWIVES upstage at various tasks ~ ironing, sewing, etc.) KATE & OTHER HOUSEWIFE (WOMAN 3) Den Br 6 Te Bo 9 ne 10 HOUSEWIVES (WOMAN 1 & 3) BiB Bn Pin Bind KATE ALLL AMIS JUST A HOUSEWIFE KATE & HOUSEWIVES JUST A HOUSEWIFE, KATE NOTHING GREAT KATE & HOUSEWIVES WHAT1DOIS KATE ‘OUT OF FASHION!” KATE & HOUSEWIVES WHAT I FEEL IS KATE “OUT OF DATE” KATE & HOUSEWIVES ALL 1 AM IS SOMEONE'S MOTHER KATE RIGHT AWAY I'M NOT TOO BRIGHT KATE & HOUSEWIVES WHAT1DOIS KATE UNFULFILLINGWorKING KATE & HOUSEWIVES SO THE T.V. TALK-SHOWS TELL ME EVERY NIGHT KATE I DON’T MEAN TO COMPLAIN AND ALL BUT THEY MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE TWO FEET TALL WHEN YOU'RE JUST A WIFE HOUSEWIVES JUST A HOUSEWIFE KATE ALL THEY SEE ARE THE POTS AND PANS AND THE PEPSI CANS OF A PERSON'S LIFE HOUSEWIVES wv ure KATE YOU'RE A "WHIZ" IF YOU GO TO WORK BUT YOU'RE [UST A JERK IF YOU SAY YOU WON'T HOUSEWIVES | JUST A HOUSEWIFE KATE PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY THINK IT’S FINE | IF THE CHOICE IS MINE KATE & HOUSEWIVES BUT YOU KNOW THEY DON'T. WHAT I DO, WHAT I CHOOSE TO DO MAY BE DUMB TO YOU BUT IT’S NOT TO ME IS IT DUMB THAT THEY NEED ME THERE? IS IT DUMB TO CARE? KATE CAUSE 1 DO, YA SEE KATE & HOUSEWIVES AND I MEAN, DID YOU EVER THINK, REALLY STOP AND THINK, WHAT A JOB IT WAS—Worxine - 25 - TALL, (KATE & HOUSEWIVES) DOING ALL THE THINGS THAT A HOUSEWIFE DOES? (Lights begin to slowly fade on other housewives.) KATE I'M AFRAID IT’S UNIMPRESSIVE, HOUSEWIVES ALL I AM IS SOMEONE'S MOTHER KATE NOTHING SPECIAL, KATE & WOMAN 1 WHAT I DOIS WHAT1DOIS UNEXCITING KINDA DULL KATE ‘TAKE THE KIDS HERE, TAKE THE KIDS THERE WOMAN 3 WOMANI MOMMY: I DON'T MEAN TO COMPLAIN WOMAN3 ATALL. ALLIAMIS WOMAN 1 MY LIFE WOMAN 3 ALLT AMIS KATE BUSY BUSY WOMAN 1 EV'RYDAY WOMAN 3 ALLT AMIS KATE LIKE MY MOTHER... HOUSEWIVES ALL AMIS= 26 - WoRKING KATE JUST A HOUSEWIFE. (CONRAD SWIBEL, UPS man in uniform, enters quietly behind her.) CONRAD (MAN 1) (Shouting suddenly) UPS! (KATE, startled, screams and drops basket.) KATE (Annoyed, picking things up) You don't just jump up behind someone and scream. CONRAD Sorry. KATE Its all right. Thank you CONRAD (Politely to KATE as she goes inside) ‘Thank you, ma’am. Sorry, ma‘am. (To us) You have to make excitement for yourself, you know? (We hear a dog bark as he approaches another house. CONRAD backs away.) Where is he? Where is he? (To us) I've been bit once already. By a Doberman. That's the biggest part of a dog's day, when the U.PS. man‘comes. So when nobody's looking, you kick him down the street. Even if he just follows you, you try to get him for the one you missed a couple of houses back, Yeah, that’s the big subject of conversation with us: dogs. And women. If you have a nice-lookin’ babe, that kinda brightens your day. We have a code we put in the system, We put a “Q". That stands for “cutie.” If you see a nice little honey laying ‘out there in her backyard in a two-piece bathing suit, she'll be laying there on her stomach with her top strap undone ~ if you go there and you scare her good enough, she'll jump up! It gives you something to do. It adds excitement to the day. (Sneaks up behind “house”, then yells loudly) UPsiWorKING - 27 - may.) dog's day, own the issed a couple If you have a itin the ney laying, ere on her (We hear a woman scream behind the house. CONRAD shoots us a smile and exits. In the Chicago production: dressers transformed KATE into ROBERTA VICTOR, prostitute.) ROBERTA (WOMAN 2) didn’t want to become a housewife like my mother and sisters. Somehow I knew wanted ... “more” out of life. 1 was fifteen, I was sitting in this coffee shop when a friend came by and said: "Yo, hurry up — I got a cab waiting, you can make five hundred dollars in twenty minutes.” We went up to this penthouse. The guy up there was quite... well-known. He wanted to watch two women do it, and then he wanted to have sex with me, It was barely sex. He was almost finished by the time wwe started. It was a tremendous kick. I mean, there I was, doing nothing, feeling nothing, and in twenty minutes I was gonna walk out of there with five hundred i dollars in my pocket. Just out of curiosity, how many people you know make five hundred dollars for twenty minutes work? And I was still in high school. CANDY COTTINGHAM. FUNDRAISER (WOMAN 3) I think of myself as an upper-class working girl. The press calls me a “socialite”, which is just another name for a well-dressed fund raiser. To me, fundraising is like candy. You get to talk with fascinating people and promote causes you love. What could be more delicious than that? 1 began in the eighties, I gave a party in Washington, D. C. for Nicaraguan refugee children —it wasn’t for the Contras, although I'm sure that would have been fun too. But fundraising is work. It’s hard to separate people from their money. There is finesse to approaching a potential donor. Inever bring up money when I first meet someone. It's not like it's a secret. I mean, they know why I'm there. But sometimes | like to see how long I can go before I ask for a gift. Call me a tease. ROBERTA It’s a marketplace transaction. Somehow I managed to absorb that when I was quite young. I was a precocious child. Actually, I was sort of lonely. I didn’t experience ‘myself as being attractive. I mean, I didn't look like a Calvin Klein ad. But, I was bright, and I didn't play by “The Rules.” Guys were mostly scared of me. They didn’t want to get involved emotionally, but they did want to fuck. For a while, I was willing to accept that. It was feeling intimacy, feeling warm ... feeling. CANDY The other day, I was riding around New York in a limousine during a hotel strike, and there was nowhere to go, and I thought; “Now I know what it feels like to be a bag lady.” You can’t just go around, pick up every homeless person you see and bring them home with you. But if you can help by saying something entertaining, you bring a light into their eyes. Maybe that’s what the word “social-lite” means.- 28 ~ WorKING ROBERTA You become your job. I've become a hustler. Even when I'm not hustling, I'm a hustler. What you do is what you are. I don’t think it’s so terribly different from somebody who works on an assembly line forty hours a week and comes home cut- off, numb... People aren’ built to switch on and off like water faucets. (The scene shifts to a luggage factory, where we focus on GRACE CLEMENTS, MILLWORKER. Beside GRACE, other women and a man are working on the line. As GRACE describes her job, she and the other MILLWORKERS mime their tasks in unison, all movements as identical and precise as blue-collar Rockettes. Their faces are totally blank, like automatons. The movements are constantly, endlessly repeated.) GRACE (WOMAN 1) I work in a luggage factory. We make suitcases. The tank I work at is six foot deep, ‘eight foot square. In forty seconds: You have to take the wet felt out of the felter; put the blanket on to draw out the excess moisture; wait two, three seconds; take the blanket off; pick the wet felt up and balance it on your shoulder; reach over, get the hose; I spray the inside of this copper screen; tum around; walk to the hot dry die behind you; take the hot piece off and set it on the floor; put the wet piece on the dry die; push this button; (sound of steam) inspect the piece we just took off; stack it; count it, Forty seconds. (snaps her fingers) (The OTHER MILLWORKERS repeat the above litany softly as GRACE continues.) OTHERS You have to take the wet felt out of the felter...(ete.) GRACE In the summertime, the temperature at our work station ranges anywhere from 100 to 150 degrees. I've taken thermometers and checked it out. I have arthritis in the joints of my fingers, naturally in my shoulder balancing this wet piece. The hose will ' sometimes leak and spray back on you. The hydraulic presses leak, so you're slipping on oil. You have the possibility of being burnt every time the hot die hitsg'ma ent from es home cut- ENTS, 1 the line, As ‘tasks in wir faces are speed.) «foot deep, continues.) e from 100 is in the he hose will t die hits WoRKING ees) (GRACE) that wet felt. You're just engulfed in a cloud of steam (steam) every forty seconds. (Music under) four hours a day. I work eight straight hours with two ten- minute breaks and one twenty-minute break for lunch, I find it difficult to eat my lunch in that length of time. Forty seconds. (enap) (AS GRACE and MILLWORKERS continue motions) GRANDAD WAS A SAILOR AND HE BLEW IN OFF THE WATER MY FATHER WAS A FARMER AND I HIS ONLY DAUGHTER 1 TOOK UP WITH A NO-GOOD MILLWORKING MAN FROM MASSACHUSETTS. WHO DIED FROM TOO MUCH WHISKEY AND LEAVES ME THESE THREE FACES TO FEED MILL WORK AIN'T EASY MILLWORK AIN'T HARD MILL WORK MOST OFTEN IS AGODDAMN AWFUL BORING JOB AND I'M WAITING FOR A DAYDREAM TO TAKE ME THROUGH THE MORNING AND PUT ME IN MY COFFEE BREAK SO I CAN HAVE MY SANDWICH AND REMEMBER T'S ME AND MY MACHINE FOR THE REST OF THE MORNING FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON AND THE REST OF MY LIFE (As the MILLWORKERS continue to work, Man 2 has stopped in disgust. He switches off his machine and exits, leaving his place in the line empty.) ‘They can't keep men on the tanks. They say it’s too monotonous. | think women adjust to monotony better than men do, because their minds are used to doing twoWorkING (GRACE) things at once, where a man can only think of one thing at a time. A woman can listen to a child while she’s doing something else. It’s the same way on the tanks. You get to be automatic in what you're doing and your mind is doing something else.. (GRACE and the women continue to work.) 1GET TO RIDE AND MY MIND BEGINS TO WANDER ‘TO MY DAYS BACK ON THE FARM ANDI CAN SEE MY FATHER SMILING AT ME SWINGING ON HIS ARM AND I CAN HEAR MY GRANDAD'S STORIES (OF THE STORMS OUT ON LAKE ERIE VESSELS AND CARGOES FORTUNES AND SAILORS’ LIVES WERE LOST GRACE & MAN 2 IT'S MY LIFE HAS BEEN WASTED AND HAVE BEEN A FOOL, ‘TO LET THIS MANUFACTURE’ USE MY BODY FOR A TOOL, GRACE MAN 2 I RIDE GRACE & MAN 2 HOME IN THE EVENINGS STARING AT MY HANDS SWEARING BY MY SORROW GRACE ‘THAT A YOUNG GIRL OUGHT TO STAND A BETTER CHANCE GRACE MAN 1 & 3, WOMAN 2 & 3 IT'S ME AND MY GRACE & MAN 2 MACHINE MAY I WORK THIS MILL. JUST AS LONG AST AM ABLE LONG ASI AM ABLE AND NEVER MEET THE MAN WHOSE NAME IS ON THE LABEL. 17'S ME AND MY MACHINEWorKine -31- (GRACE & MAN 2) (MAN 1 & 3, WOMAN 2 & 3) vomnan can n the tanks. ; something y's ME AND MY MACHINE MACHINE FOR THE REST OF THE MORNING FOR THE REST OF THE MORNING FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON AFTERNOON GRACE GONE AND THE REST OF MY LIFE (As music gets softer) ‘You wish you didn’t have to work in a factory. But when it’s all you know how to do, that’s what you do (GRACE remains in place.) ALLEN EPSTEIN, COMMUNITY ORGANIZER (MAN 2) ‘An organizer is someone who brings in new members. You try to build an “organization that will give people the power to make the changes. | put together a fairly solid organization of rural people in Pike County to stop Bethlehem Steel from strip mining, Thad to tell people again and again that they had the stuff to do the job, that it's possible to win. You see, most people in their guts don’t really believe it. Nobody believed we could stop Bethlehem Steel. But see, all that the people in Pike County really wanted was a park, just a place for their kids. And Bethlehem Bethlehem said, “Go to hell We're not gonna give you a damn thing,” So I got twenty, thirty people together I saw as leaders and I said, “Let's get that park.” They said, “We can’t.” I said, “Yes, we can.” So we got enough people together —we wrote letters, we protested, until we finally got on TV. And Bethlehem caved. Couple months later, four thousand people from Pike County a drove up to watch bulldozers grading down the land to make that park VOMA, Nice You see, people become convinced there’s not a damn thing they can do. I think we have it inside us to change things. T mean, all human recorded history is about what, five thousand years old? How ‘many people in that time have made an overwhelming difference? Twenty? Thirty? You see the problem with history is that it’s written by college professors about great ‘men. But that’s not what history is. History’s a hell of a lot of little people, men and women, just like you and me, getting together and deciding they want a better life.- 32 - Workine WOMAN 2 (Sings a capella) IF 1 COULD'VE BEEN WHAT I COULD'VE BEEN I COULD'VE BEEN SOMETHING WOMAN 3 I wanted to be a writer... MAN 1 a major-league baseball player ... MAN 3 own a little farm WOMAN 1 IF WHAT I COULD BE HAD BEEN LEFT TO ME 1 WOULD'VE BEEN SOMETHING ... WOMAN 3 but then I got married .. MAN 2 «then the kids came along ... MAN1 but then my dad took sick ... WOMAN 3 ‘A TOWER OF STRENGTH ‘A CENTER OF POWER ATTEN BUCKS AN HOUR (Music becomes more rhythmic) MAN 3 (MIKE DILLARD) ‘There's always a stumbling block. I was gonna work for a few years, buy me a car, head West. Well, | met the wife, that kinda changed my plans. You never know what you woulda did WOMAN 2 IF I COULD'VE DONE WHAT I COULD'VE DONE I COULD'VE DONE BIG THINGSWorkine - 38 - me acar, know what WOMAN 3 WITH SOME LUCK TO DO WHAT I WANTED TO 1 WOULD'VE DONE BIG THINGS MAN 2 SWAM A FEW RIVERS WOMAN 1 CLIMBED A FEW HILLS MAN 3 PAID ALL MY BILLS WOMAN 1 f NOW IT'S JUST DREAMS THAT STUCK WITH AND HELL, THAT AIN'T A LOT TO MAN 2 & 3 sHOW on, MAN 1 MAN 2 & 3, WOMEN 1 & 2 THAVEN’T GONE FAR on, FROM THE STARTING LINE BUT DEEP DOWN INSIDE WHERE IT COUNTS, I KNOW . MAN 2 &3 MAN 2 & 3, WOMAN 1&3 ALL I KNOW THAT IFT WOMAN 2 COULD'VE GONE WOMAN 1 & 3, MAN 1,2 & 3 IF | COULD'VE GONE WHERE I COULD'VE GONE WHERE I COULD’VE GONE ICOULD’VE GONE PLACES: 1 WOULD'VE GONE FAR AWAY WITH LEEWAY TO GO(WOMAN 2) FAR ASI COULD GO | WOULD'VE GONE PLACES. TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE ‘THE TOP OF THE TIER A LONG WAY FROM HERE WOMAN 3 WAY BACK THEN 1 HAD AMBITION A LOT OF STAMINA AND GUTS I NEVER TOOK “NO” FOR AN ANSWER IT WAS TOUGHER TO FIGHT | ALL THOSE IF'S, AND'S, OR BUTS ALL THOSE IF’S, AND’S, OR WOMAN 1, 2 & 3, MAN 3 BUT'S BUT IE MAN 3 & WOMAN 1 & 2 1 COULD’VE BEEN WHAT I COULD'VE BEEN 1 COULD'VE BEEN SOMETHIN’ IF MY DESTINY (WOMAN 1 & 3, MAN 1,2& 1 COULD'VE GONE FAR AWAY WOMAN 1 & 2, MAN 1, 2 &3 1. COULD'VE BEEN WAY BACK THEN OH, WAYBACK WHEN MAN 1 & 2 ALL WOMAN 1 & 2, MAN 3 ALL MAN 1&2 BUTIFI BUTIFI MAN 1 & 2 WOMAN 3 I IF 1 COULD HAVE BEEN WHAT I COULD HAVE BEEN COULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING SPECIAL, IF SOMETHING SPECIAL 1 HAD re FT wH we BA\ cWorkING - 35 - 3, MAN 1, 2 & 3} (MAN 3 & WOMAN 1 & 2) (MAN 1 & 2) (WOMAN 3) ~ 1F My DESTINY HAD BEEN LEFT TO ME HAD BEEN LEFT TO ME 1 WOULD VE BEEN SOMETHIN’ COULD HAVE BEEN NE FAR AWAY I COULD’VE BEEN SOMETHING WOMAN 1 ALL EXCEPT WOMAN 1 2,MAN 1,2 &3 IF THEY HAD JUST LET ME GO IF THEY HAD JUST LET ME GO WHERE I WAS RARIN’ TOGO WHEN I WAS RARIN’ TOGO WHEN I WAS RARIN’ TOGO BACK THEN IF THEY HAD JUST LET ME WOMAN 2 ALL EXCEPT WOMAN 1 & 2 GOD ONLY KNOWS, co MAN 1&2 GOD ONLY KNows, MAN 3 & WOMAN 3 Jee GOD ONLY KNOWS WOMAN 1 & 2 ee GOD ONLY ALL KNOWS ee WOMAN 2 WHAT I COULD VE BEEN (ooices, in counterpoint, fade out...) MAN1 1COULD’VE BEEN WOMAN 2 & MAN 2 ‘SOMETHING WHAT I COULD'VE WOMAN 3 MAN 3 u 1 COULD/VE BEEN BEEN WOMAN 3 SOMEONE ‘THE TOP OF THE GN SPECIAL WOMAN 1 SoMErNING WOMAN 2 & MAN 2 I. COULD’VE GONE TIER WHAT I COULD'VE MAN1 SPECIAL BEEN ‘SOMEWHERE 1 COULD'VE BEEN 1 SPECIAL SOMETHING= oe WorKinc WOMAN 3 MAN3 1 COULD'VE BEEN ALONG WAY SOMEONE FROM HERE MAN1 1 COULD’VE BEEN SOMEONE MAN 3 WHAT I COULD'VE WOMAN 2 & y, BEEN WHAT 1 COULD WOMAN 3 BEEN ‘THE TOP OF THE THH MAN1 WOMAN 2 & MAN 2 1 COULD'VE BEEN WHAT I COULD'VE ee BEEN MAN3 1 COULD'VE BEEN WOMAN 3 MAN 1 THE TOP OF THE SOMEONE, ICOULD'VE BE] SPECIAL Ea TIER MAN 2 & WOMAN 1 MAN 1 WHAT I COULD'VE Seen) I.COULD'VE BEEN BEEN 1 COULD'VE GON} SOMETHING WOMAN 3 SOMEWHERE ALONG WAY FROM ee HERE WOMAN 1 ‘The last hour is the hardest. You sit there with half a mind and one eye on the clock. MAN1 All I'm thinking about now is gettin’ home, takin’ off my uniform. WOMAN 2 A.cold can of beer WOMAN 3 Puttin’ my feet up in front of the idiot box ... MAN 3 (MIKE DILLARD) ‘When that whistle blows, you geta lot of guys wanna sit around and talk. [just wanna get out of here.Workine 37 - (ANTHONY COELHO, white, 60's, stone mason, squints up atthe setting sun) ANTHONY (MAN 2) Ita pretty good day layin’ stone. You get interested in what you're doin’ and you usually fight the clock the other way. You're not lookin’ for quittin, you're wondering you haven't got enough done and it's almost quittin’ time. (A SINGER enters with a guitar and starts to pick softly) OMAN 2 & M, WHATI COULD) BEEN There's not a house in this country I haven't built that I don’t look at every time I go by, and if there's one stone crooked, I still notice it. The people what lives there might not notice it, but I notice it, Stone’s my business. Stone’s my life. SINGER (MAN 1) (As ANTHONY continues working) HE BUILDS A HOUSE WITH HIS HANDS THIRTY YEARS GO BY ITSTANDS: IT STANDS WHERE NOTHING STOOD ‘A HOUSE OF STONE ‘THE MASON SLEEPS REAL GOOD I COULD ’VE BEEN SOMEONE SOMEWHERE PECIAL, HE DOES HIS WORK HIS WORK DAY FLIES (QUITTIN’ TIME’S A BIG SURPRISE AND THEN IT'S ONE MORE STONE TO GET JUST RIGHT IT’S ALWAYS ONE MORE STONE BEFORE THE NIGHT he clock, EVERY HOUSE HE BUILDS EVERY STONE HE LAYS 11'S NOT JUST MAKIN’ MONEY AND COUNTIN’ OFF THE DAYS, ANTHONY I daydream all the time about stone. Someday I'm gonna build me a stone cabin down on the Green River. I'm gonna build stone cabinets in the kitchen. Everything stone. A stone front door... that’s going to be very heavy. All my dreams, seems like they got to have a piece of rock mixed up in ‘em, ustSINGER HE BUILDS A HOUSE WITH HIS HANDS A HUNDRED YEARS GO BY IT STANDS IT TELLS YOU WHO HE WAS A LIFE GOES FAST BUT THE WORK A MASON DOES IT'S MADE TO LAST ‘THE WORK A MASON DOES ANTHONY ‘There's nothin’ on this earth gonna last forever. But with stone, you're gettin’ pretty close SINGER IT'S MADE TO LAST. EDDIE JAFFE, PUBLICIST (MAN 3) I can’t relax. ‘Cause when you ask a guy who's fifty-eight years old, “What does a press agent do?” you force me to look back and see what a fecacta life I've had. My hopes, my aspirations —what I did with them. What being a press agent does to you. What have | wound up with? Rooms full of clippings and a case of colitis But what I think has been my main problem - the inability to say ‘no.’ The insistence on being part of everything. The fear you're going to miss something. ‘One psychiatrist said to me, ‘A guy with one ass can’t ride two horses.” Being a publicity man is a confession of weakness. It’s for people who don’t have the guts to get attention for themselves. You spend your whole life telling the world how great somebody else is, In this work, you don’t build anything. If I had a little mom and pop candy store and I built it up into a bigger store, I might have sold it for a million dollars. Who do I sell my clippings to? (Eddie sits down at a table in a restaurant. The focus shifts to a waitress at the restaurant: DELORES DANTE, as she picks up her tray and begins to wait on him and the other CUSTOMERS.)WorKING - 39 - DELORES (WOMAN 3) (Pouring water for customers) Good evening, m'Lords. What's exciting at the bar that I can offer? (tous) It would be very boring if I had to say, “Would you like a cocktail?” over and over. So I come out different for my own enjoyment. I say, “what's exciting at the bar that I can offer, m’Lord?”... or something. Maybe with cocktails, I give them a little philosophy. ‘They have coffee, I give ‘em political science. I have an opinion on every single subject there is. My bosses don’t like it, so I have to speak “sotto voce.” But if get heated, 1 don’t give a damn. I speak like an Italian speaks. I have to be a waitress. How else does the world come to me? Everyone wants to eat, everyone has hunger. And I serve them. I give service. I can't be servile, There is a difference. gettin’ pretty close (Music under) 1 get intoxicated with giving service. It becomes theatrical and I feel like ... Mata hat does a press Hari, and it intoxicates me. I'm on stage. J. My hopes, my u. What have I THERE'S SOME AS DON'T CARE WHEN THEY PUT DOWN THE PLATE, THERE'S A SOUND the NOT WITH ME mething. WHEN THEY MOVE A CHAIR IT WILL SCRAPE WITH A GRATE ON THE GROUND NOT WITH ME on't have I WILL HAVE MY HAND RIGHT WHEN I PLACE A GLASS ag the world NOTICE HOW I STAND RIGHT AS CUSTOMERS PASS. SERVE A DEMI-TASSE WITH A GESTURE SO GENTLE, ndy store OR DOIT AGAIN TILL ars. Who IT'S NEAR ORIENTAL (SHE hums a snatch of “Un Bel Di” from “Madame Butterfly” ) the IT'S AN ART, IT'S AN ART t om him and ‘TO BE A FINE WAITRESS ‘TO SEE THAT YOU PLEASURE EACH GUEST ‘THERE'S A TWIST TO MY WRIST WHEN I BRING YOUR STEAK IN AND WATCH HOW I TAKE IN YOUR LIVER AND BACON IT ALL NEEDS BE STYLISH AND SMART ‘THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT AN ARTWorkine (DELORES) 1 REMEMBER ONE DAY AS 1DO NOW AND THEN, I HAD SHAKES DOWN I WENT ‘THERE WITH MY TRAY FULL OF COFFEES AND CORDIALS AND CAKES DOWN I WENT BUT I KEPT MY POISE — NOT ONE GUEST HEARD ME FALL, NEVER MADE A NOISE, NOT ONE NOISE, FOOD AND ALL IF YOU HAVE TO CRAWL, YOU GIVE ‘EM WHAT THEY LIKE YOU CARRY YOUR TRAY LIKE IT’S ALMOST BALLET-LIKE (SHE hums a snatch of “Swan Lake” ) IS AN ART, IT'S AN ART TO BE A FINE WAITRESS EACH EVENING I TREASURE THE TEST LIKE TONIGHT WAS A FIGHT “CAUSE THEY HIRED THIS BUSBOY ‘THIS CLOTHES-ALL-A-MUSS-BOY AND GUESTS HEARD HIM CUSS — BOY, DID WE HAVE A QUICK “HEART-TO-HEART"! EVEN THAT IS AN ART TIPS! HA! TIPS ARE IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE LIKE CAPTAINS AND BARMEN FOR THEM, IT’S A TIP, SEE? FOR ME, I'M A GYPSY JUST TOSS ME A COIN AND I SUDDENLY FEEL LIKE I'M CARMEN! SO ON THROUGH THE ULCER ‘THE BACKACHE, THE HOT SWEATY FEET ON You Go ‘THROUGH “IS YOUR KNIFE DULL SIR?” AND "MADAM WANTS WHAT WITH HER MEAT?” ON YOU GO TWO A.M. APPROACHES, THE CURTAINS DESCEND ‘THERE AMONG THE ROACHES, MY ACT'S AT AN ENDWorKING er LL KE ARMEN ARMEN! (DELORES) EVERY NIGHT I TEND TO FIND MYSELF CRYING THERE'S NO WORK SO TRYING OR SO SATISFYING I tell everyone I’m a waitress and I'm proud. When somebody says to me, “Hey, you're terrific! How come you're just a waitress?,” you know what I say to them? Isay, "Why? Don’t you think you deserve to be served by me?” DELORES CUSTOMERS Miss! IT'S AN ART IT'S AN ART MISS! TO BE A GREAT WAITRESS PLEASE TAKE CARE OF THIS TO DO WITHOUT LEISURE OR REST COULD WE HAVE A CHECK, PLEASE? 80 1Z00M MISS THROUGH THE ROOM PLEASE WITH A FLAIR NO ONE ELSE HAS BRING SOME MORE OF THESE AN AIR NO ONE ELSE HAS ISWEAR NO ONE ELSE HAS MY LILT Iss WHEN I SAY MISS “ALA CARTE.” AND ANOTHER ORDER TO GO YOU CAN SEE IT GIVES ME A GLOW MY PLATE, MISS MY CUP, MISS EVERY TIME I PROVE I'M A PRO I'M LATE, MISS. HURRY UP, MISS MAYBE I'M NOT QUITE MISS! MICHELANGELO, AND A BAG FOR MY DOG. BUT I'M NOT JUST A WAITRESS YOU WERE GREAT I'MA ONE- BUT I'M LATE WOMAN SHOW MY CHECK, PLEASE MY CHANGE, PLEASE COME ON, PLEASE, LADY LET'S GO! DELORES After sixteen years here, | went on a trip to Hawaii for two weeks. Went with my lover. My eldest daughter said, “Act your age.” I said, “Honey, if | were acting my age, I wouldn't be walking,” Not after sixteen years on this jobMAN1 I worked for them 16 years, and overnight they let half of us go. It's now known as Black Thursday. They told us to clear out, leave. That's all. No goodbyes. One guy broke down and cried right there. ‘What did 1 do wrong? I've done a great job. Please don’t do this to me. My daughter's getting married next month. How am I going to face people? All of a sudden, nobody calls. You go out and start visiting friends, but they're all busy with their own work. They don't have time for you. This is a psychological... (halts. A long pause.) I don’t want to get into it, WOMAN 2 It was a year ago November and I’m still looking. But, you just have to fight your ‘own way — which I've done my whole life. EDDIE (MAN 3) Don’t get me wrong, in this economy, I'm lucky to have any work at all. But after so many years, I wish — I just wish I knew how it felt not to have to go to work. (In the Chicago production, A DRESSER helped EDDIE to transform into JOE ZUTTY, retired) JOE (MAN 3) When I retired, the first two years I was downhearted. I had no place to go, nothin’ to do. Then I gave myself a good goin’ over. Joe, I said, you can't sit at home like that and waste your time. You got to get out, do things. Well, the day goes pretty fast for me now. I don’t daydream at all. Ijust think of something, and I forget it. ‘That daydreaming, it don’t do you no good. Keep busy, keep movin’, that's the trick. YOU WAKE ATTEN FOLD UP THE BED You don’t wanna leave your couch open all day, you know? It's depressing. YOU COOK AN EGG YOU TOAST SOME BREAD You cook for yourself, you save a bundle. If you don't keep track o' your money, who will?Workine = 43 - (JOE) w known as YOU THINK ABOUT yes. One guy THE DAY AHEAD great job "How am I You don’t go feelin’ sorry for yourself — tart visiting 11'S LIKE1SAID, e for you. ‘You can sit home and be mad at the world, or you can get out and do things / YOU TAKE A WALK YOU MEET A CHUM This one guy lives down by National Biscuit — Boy, you should see the nice aroma fight your YOU SHOOT THE BULL YOU ARGUE SOME But after so ‘And maybe he calls up a coupla other fellas to come over, play some poker. ae YOU LOSE AT GIN UNTIL THEY COME 0 This guy remembers what cards you picked up! ‘THE DIRTY BUM ... beat at gin beats doin’ nothin’ But even gett YOU TAKE A BUS YOU TAKE A TRAIN ) go, nothin’ jome like es pretty ‘You go visit your wife’ s grave. On the way you read the Reader's Digest. forget it. asthe 1 DOES YoU GooD TO USE YOUR BRAIN cor maybe you go out and see your cousin. You bring a six-pack along YOU'S TAKE A STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE! when we were young we was always together — ng .. AND RAISIN’ CAIN We go back a long ways, him and me. Oh, the times we had 1 REMEMBER ONCE ‘money, BACK IN ‘62ae WorKING (JOE) WE WERE AT THIS FAIR Like WITH THESE GIRLS WE KNEW ON THIS CRAZY RIDE WHERE YOU SCREAMED OR YOU PRAYED ie ‘The “Big Dipper,” they called it. WE COULD HARDLY WALK AS WE LEFT THE CAR ‘SO WE STAGGERED DOWN: FOR A CANDY BAR ‘THEN WE SAT AND LAUGHED IN THE PENNY ARCADE i ATSIX O'CLOCK YOU WATCH THE NEWS ‘Them politicians get you so mad you throw your slippers at the set YOU COOK SOME FRANKS NO BIG TO-DO'S it Most nights you lay around, you straighten up, maybe you call your daughter. YOU WATCH A GAME YOU TAKE A SNOOZE But then there’s Sunday, Sunday's different — YOU CHANGE YOUR SHIRT AND SHINE YOUR SHOES “Cause you're goin’ around the block to the tavern .. YOU DRINK SOME BEER | tt YOU SHOOT SOME FOOL You don’t have to drink a lot to have a good time, maybe three, four in an evening YOU FIND A PAL, YOU BEND HIS EAR | ‘You meet a lot o’ your old crowd there Sundays. Sometimes a bunch o' you, you sing— i ‘THE KINDA SONG 1 YOU NEVER HEARWorkinc - 45 - Jaughter. n an evening Y you, you (JOE) Like “Stardust” or “In the Mood” AND THEN YOU CHEER Last Sunday night we sang “Till We Meet Again.” Believe it or not, | once did a waltz to that tune. Honest to God ITWAS AT A DANCE 1 WAS SEVENTEEN AND THE GIRL WAS LIKE FROM A MAGAZINE AND THE LIGHTS WERE LOW AND I REALLY MEAN LOW Ithink a coupla my friends had somethin’ to do with that ... AND I KISSED HER CHEEK AS WE WALTZED AWAY REMEMBER THAT LIKE IT’S YESTERDAY BOY, WAS SHE SURPRISED I CAN HEAR HER SAY: (pleased and embarrassed) “JOE!” THEY DRIVE YOU HOME FROM ROUND THE BLOCK YOU TAKE YOUR CASH OUT OF YOUR SOCK YOU FIX THE BED. YOU CHECK THE LOCK YOU WIND THE CLOCK When I retired, a lot o' people told me, “Joe, you got your health, you shouldna done it” But it was too late. I don’t know why I retired. It’s just a habit, I guess. But I got no regrets. I keep busy, keep travelin’. I go to fires every once in a while. That fire we had on Milwaukee Avenue about three months ago, I was there. I was surprised that the smoke was comin’ out there heavy as hell, but you don’t see no flames, you know? Boy ... That was some fire. (We hear the sound of a fire siren. TOM PATRICK, fireman, comes running out of a burning building, choking for air. JOE remains seated in his chair.)= 46 - WorKING TOM (MAN 1) You go in there and it’s dark. Smoke's pourin’ outta the goddamn building, 1 all happens really fast. I feel this tremendous heat to my left.I turn around and the whole fuckin’ room is orange, yellow. You can just see orange and feel the heat. The Lieutenant and the other fireman got the ladder up and saved two people. But downstairs there was a guy tryin’ to get out the door. They had bolts on the door. He was burnt dead. Know what the lead man s: LEAD MAN (MAN 2) (from offstage) We lost a guy. Shit! We lost a guy. TOM ‘You saved two people. How would you know a guy's sleepin’ on the poo! table? LEAD MAN ‘Yeah, but we lost a guy (By now the fire has cleared behind TOM.) TOM [always wanted to be a fireman. A lot of guys want to be firemen. It's like kids. Everybody's stil a kid. Guys forty years old stil fel like kids inside except they're | | starting to lose their hair and don’t screw so much, I used to be a cop. Know why I itched to fireman? 1 liked people. And sometimes, when I was a cop, I would feet the hate coming into me. remember one time, ] went to the roof of this project, and there's this big black guy about six-seven at the top of the stairs. He had his back to me. I said, “Hey, fella, turn around.” He said, “Yeah, wait a minute.” His elbows were movin’ around his belt. said, “Turn around a minute.” It dawned on me that he had a gun caught in his belt and he was trying to get it out. I said, “Hioly shit.” So I took out my gun and said, “You fucker! I'm gonna shoot!” He threw his hands up against the wall I He had his dick out and he was tryin’ to zip up his fly, and there was a git! standin’ in the corner, which I couldn't see. So here was this guy gettin’ a hand job and maybe a lotta guys would've killed him. I said, “Holy shit, 1 coulda killed you.” He started shakin’ and the gun in my hand was shakin’ like a bastard, and I said .. I said, “Just get the hell outta here ..” | So I took the fire department test in ‘98 and got called in ‘99. You know, the fuckin’ ‘world’s so fucked up, the country’s fucked up. But the firemen, you actually see them produce. You see them put out a fire. You see them come out with babies in their hands. You see them give mouth-to-mouth when a guy's dying, You can't get around that shit, That's real. | worked in a bank once— you know, it's just paper,WorKING -47- ing, Itall and the he heat. The le. But the door. ol table? ke kids. ept they're now why I would feel g black guy ey, fella, round his caught in ny gun and wall irl standin’ band i you.” He said he fuckin’ lly see babies in 1can’t get t paper, (TOM) you're lookin’ at numbers. It's not real. But I can look back and say, “I helped put out a fire. ! helped save somebody.” Someone could be born, someone could grow old because of me. It shows something I did on this earth. (UTKARSH TRUJILLO enters as a caregiver, leads JOE to his ‘room’, and turns to the audience) UTKARSH (MAN 2) HE HAD A VERY GOOD DAY TODAY WE WENT DOWN TO THE SENIOR CENTER JUST A MILE AWAY SOME DAYS HE ONLY WANTS‘TO STAY AT HOME BUT ON TUESDAYS THEY PLAY MUSIC AND THEY DANCE ‘YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN HIM DANCE THEY WERE PLAYING SPANISH MUSIC HE'S A HAM; HE LIKES TO MAKE THE NURSES SMILE SOME DAYS HE CAN'T REMEMBER WHO I AM BUT TODAY, HE WAS LUCID FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND THROUGH IT ALL I TAKE HIS PULSE 1 CHANGE HIS CLOTHES WHERE ARE HIS CHILDREN? HEAVEN KNOWS IT DOESN'T PAY MUCH, BUT I GET THROUGH BECAUSE I DO THE WORK THAT NO ONE ELSE WILL DO. THERESA LIU, NANNY (WOMAN 1) SHE HAD A VERY GOOD DAY TODAY WE WENT TO A NEARBY PARK WHERE SHE LIKES TO PLAY SHE'S ONLY FIVE, BUT SHE CAN DO IT ALL AND TODAY WE TOOK HER SCOOTER FOR A RIDE ‘YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN HER GLIDE AND I WAS TERRIFIED 1 SPENT THE AFTERNOON, JUST RUNNING BY HER SIDE THE SUN CAME DOWN, AND THEN I BROUGHT HER HOME HER PARENTS WORK LATE, TUCK HER IN EACH NIGHT. AND I SING:WoRKING (THERESA) You real sou Ige Ma MAHAL KITA MINAMAHAL KITA MAHAL NA MAHAL KITA, TIL SHE'S ASLEEP SHE SAYS, “I LOVE YOU,” AND I LOVE HER TOO WHILE 1 DO ALL THE WORK HER MOTHER DOESN'T DO UTKARSH I HAVE A FAMILY OF MY OWN THERESA 1 HAVE A DAUGHTER BACK AT HOME UTKARSH 1 SEND WHATEVER I CAN SPARE THERESA WITH NO ONE SINGING HER TO SLEEP UTKARSH & THERESA AND SOMETIMES I CLOSE MY EYES, AND IMAGINE I AM THERE | | UTKARSH THERESA DUERMETE MAHAL KITA DUERMETE MINAMAHAL KITA HASTA LA MADRUGADA DUERMETE, HE HAD A VERY GOOD DA Y TODAY MAHAL KITA WE WENT DOWN TO THE SENIOR CENTER MINAMAHAL KITA JUST A MILE AWAY MAHAL NA MAHAL KITA, MAHALKITA, UTKARSH & THERESA ONE DAY MY DREAMS ARE GONNA ALL COME TRUE FOR NOW I DO WHAT NO ONE WANTS TO DO i t FOR NOW I DO WHAT NO ONE WANTS TO DO li | (Lights fade on them as MAGGIE HOLMES comes on. SHE is a cleaning woman, African American, older)WORKING - 49 - MAGGIE (WOMAN 2) ‘You know what I always wanted to do? I wanted to play the piano. That's what I really wanted. And I'd write songs and things, about my life growin’ up in the south, and my mama and grandmama ... Now I got my own, beautiful daughter, and Igot plans for her. So, [leave my house every morning and go scrub rooms up at the Marriott. And at night I come here to this office an’ it’s scrubbin’ again. (Music under) For generations, that’s all we done — scrubbin’, My grandma, my mama and me. But my daughter, she ain’t gonna do no domestic work. | aim to be the end o' that particular line. MAMA WORKED JUST LIKE HER MAMA BEFORE HER DOMESTIC WORKIN’ WAS THEIR TRADE THEY WAS LAUNDRESS, COOK AND LIVE-IN HELP a THURSDAY GIRL, BABY SITTER, AND HOTEL MAID = ‘THEY WORKED SIX DAYS A WEEK ALL DAY LONG AND NEVER COULD GET OUTTA DEBT - ‘THOSE WERE THE DAYS WHEN THE MINIMUM WAGE WAS ANYTHING YOU COULD GET. ‘THERE... ESA 2 THEY WAS MAGGIE & WOMEN (WOMAN 1 & 3) % CLEANIN’ WOMEN WITHOUT FACES WOMEN KITA ‘THEY WAS MAGGIE & WOMEN COMIN’ AND GOIN’ ON A FIRST NAME BASIS MAGGIE YOU'RE TALKIN’ TO SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS WOMEN SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS MAGGIE AND AFTER TOO MANY YEARS, woman,= 50 - WorkiNc MAGGIE & WOMEN LORD. MAGGIE 1 DON’T WANNA BE IN ONE MORE LAUNDRY ROOM WOMEN OH, No! MAGGIE I DON’T WANNA PICK UP NARY ‘NOTHER BROOM. ‘ONE OF THESE DAYS WOMEN ONE OF THESE DAYS MAGGIE JUST WANNA SLEEP TILL NOON ALL DAY LONG I’M THINKIN’ MY KIDS IS IN THE STREET SOMEWHERE BUT THE FOLKS UP IN THEIR ROOMS DON’T THINK YOU'RE THINKIN’ HALF THE TIME ] | [ALWAYS TALKIN’ ROUND YOU ALL LIKE YOU AIN'T EVEN THERE DAY LONG IT GETTIN’ $0 IT DO SOMETHIN’ TO MY MIND. ALLDAY LONG SOMETHIN’ TO MY MIND TOMY MIND, O11, LORD! GOT A DAUGHTER WITH A HEAD ON HER SHOULDERS AND PRETTY AS A PICTURE TOO xo, SHE AIN'TCONNA HIDE THAT PRETTY FACE SITE AIN'T GONNA HIDE | rms cxosep voor, OH, NO, ‘SCRUBBIN’ FLOORS LIKE HER MAMA DO IF MY LEGS DON’T GIVE OUT, AND MY BACK HOLD UP IM GONNA MAKE HER A BETTER DAY (OH, ONE OF THESE DAYS. YOU'LL NEVER SEE HER GET DOWN ON HER KNEES (OH, LORD! UNLESS SHE'S DOWN THERE TO PRAYWorkiNG Soi MAGGIE & WOMEN NO MORE CLEANIN’ WOMEN WOMEN CLEANIN' MAGGIE & WOMEN WITHOUT FACES WOMEN NO, No! MAGGIE & WOMEN ‘SHE'S GONNA WALK IN ON A “MISS LAST NAME” BASIS MAGGIE WOMEN SHE'LL BE THE FIRST IN THIS FAMILY WOMEN SHE'LL BE THE FIRST IN THIS FAMILY MAGGIE WOMEN TO HAVE A FACE YOU CAN SEE YOU CAN SEE : LORD, SHE AIN'T GON’ BE LORD ¥ LONG STUCK INSIDE NO LAUNDRY ROOM OH NO! . DAY LONG AND WHEN SHE SWEEPIN’, AETHIN’ TO MY MIN SHE'LL BE PUSHIN’ HER OWN BROOM MY MIND, ‘THE DAY MAY NEVER COME ‘SOMEDAY LORD! WHEN SHE CAN SLEEP TILL NOON BUT MAGGIE & WOMEN LONG AS SHE CAN GET UP SINGIN’ HER OWN TUNE, AIN'T GONNA HIDE MAGGIE No, FOR ME THAT DAY, MAGGIE & WOMEN ONE OF THESE DAYS MAGGIE FOR ME THAT DAY LORD! WOMEN FOR ME THAT DAY- 52 - WORKING MAGGIE CAN'T COME TOO SOON. WOMEN CAN'T COME TO SOON. LORD, TOO SOON, THAT DAY THAT DAY CAN’ COME, CAN'T COME CAN'T COME, CAN'T COME TOO SOON CAN'T COME NO, NO, TOO SOON NO NO TOO SOON THAT DAY THAT DAY CAN'T COME CAN'T COME CAN'T COME TOO SOON! CAN'T COME TOO SOON! MAGGIE come from four generations o’ cleanin’ women. But my daughter, she’s a whole new generation. That’s what we got comin’ up today — a whole new generation ... (Lights up on RALPH WERNER, salesman, 19.) RALPH (MAN 1) My name is Ralph Werner. I'm nineteen years old. I ran this mutual fund for the students in my school. My father runs his own investment firm, I guess that’s where learned. He runs a hedge fund—you know —those are the guys who are always getting caught defrauding their investors. We studied Ethics at school, so I'm sure I won't have any problem. I'll be going to business school. Kellogg, naturally. What Td really like to be is a professional golfer. But realistically, I'll probably be an | | entrepreneur. And then I'l start a family, of course. My quote dream girl unquote i has long brunette hair, doesn’t have to wear a lot of make-up, because she’s going to | be naturally pretty. I want her to have a lot of personality, because when I'm thirty i and we're moving up the ladder, there's going to have to be a lot more than looks. At first she'll probably be working, but after our first child she'll stay home. And she'll be a good mother. I hope to have three children two boys and a girl. I would like a Colonial house, possibly one that leans toward a Mediterranean style. Maybe it | could even be backing right on a golf course, so my wife and I can play golf whenever we want. (His brow furrows with a new thought) Thope my wife can play golf. “ tereWorkinc 7 MEN DON. T COME OON! a whole eration ... for the at's where always I'm sure | ly. What ean unquote going to ‘m thirty in Looks. e. And 1.1 would e. Maybe it if (Lights up on Charlie Blossom, age 19, a big mischievous smile on his face.) CHARLIE BLOSSOM (MAN 2) My name is Charlie, I'l be twenty in three weeks. So I got recommended for this job ina news room on a Chicago paper. I went down to the paper and talked to the editor, told him how much I wanted to be a journalist. He liked me~T had a tie on. Coming to work for me was a kind of missionary kind of thing. I was bringing. organic walnuts and organic raisins and just giving them away to everybody. See, at this stage of the game I was in a very spiritualistic mood. I was enjoying my job, because I was answering phones most of the time. People would call up and complain or have a problem, and I'd say: “This is a capitalist newspaper. And as ong as it's a capitalist newspaper, it's not gonna serve you, because its purpose is to make money for its owner.” And I'd tell them to call up the editor, or come down and take over the paper. A lot of people responded really well to these suggestions. But the editor calls me into his office, and he’s like, “Blah blah blah blah blah ...” I wanted to take a baseball bat and smash his head in. I mean, he’s a really nice person, I like him a lot. I don’t know if I would get any pleasure from shooting him up with a fifty-caliber machine gun and seeing his body splatter to pieces. But my fantasy all spring at the paper was getting a gun and shooting them. (beat) Or getting a gun, walking into the editor's office and saying, “Okay, how do you face your death?” Thad been thinking for months, what will I do when I get fired? I had to do something to show them, “Hey, I'm better than you mother-fuckers, I'm getting fired because I'm different.” I had to think fast, so I looked at the editor, and I said, “I hope you can live with the conditions you're creating!” And then I just turned and walked out and started to cry. And the editor, he hurries after me and said, “Wait a minute. I'm not creating these conditions, you are.” I said, (shouting) “No, no, I’m not the one who has the power, you're the one who has the power!” (Pause) Now I've got myself on unemployment. They were nice to me the first few times. Then this woman told me to “get a number.” I wanted to tell her, “Fuck you, I can wait outside your apartment and knock you over the head and steal your money.” But that’s bitterness. I don't like being bitter. I'm a pacifist. (A light comes up on MIKE, looking at them and thinking about his oun son.)Worxinc MIKE (MAN 3) 1 HEARD A LOTTA SONGS SAY “WHERE YOU GOIN’ MY SON?” NOW I KNOW THEY'RE TRUE BOY, YOU NEVER STOP TO THINK HOW FAST THE YEARS RUN NOW THEY'RE TAKING YOU. 1 REMEMBER YOU WAS THREE ‘N’ A HALF YOUR MA AND ME, WE'D SIT THERE AFTER THINGS GOT QUIETED WE'D LAUGH AT SOME NEW WORD YOU SAID HOW TOUGH YOU WERE TO GET TO BED AND WE'D PLAN THE NIGHT AWAY PLANNING FOR OUR KID 1 WAS YOUR HERO THEN 1 COULDN'T DO NO WRONG, AS FAR AS YOU WERE CONCERNED YOU THOUGHT I WAS THE BEST OF MEN THE TABLES HADN'T TURNED YOU HADN'T LEARNED. HOW LITTLE TIME IT TAKES AND DADDIES MAKE MISTAKES SEEMS TO ME THAT LATELY I BEEN THINKIN’ A LOT I THINK ABOUT MY DAD LOTS OF FUNNY THINGS COME BACK I THOUGHT I'D FORGOT NOW THEY MAKE ME SAD HIGH SCHOOL AND IT USED TO BE I DIDN'T WANT HIM TOUCHIN’ ME, AND I SHUDDERED IF HE DID FURTHER BACK TO SUMMER NIGHTS BASEBALL GAMES BENEATH THE LIGHTS AND SLEEPIN’ IN THE CAR MY DADDY AND HIS KID HE WAS MY HERO THEN HE COULDN'T DO NO WRONG, AS FAR AS I WAS CONCERNED, I THOUGHT HE WAS THE WISEST AND THE STRONGEST AND THE BEST OF MEN ‘THE TABLES HADN'T TURNED. IHADN'T LEARNED HOW LITTLE TIME IT TAKES AND EVERYBODY BREAKS AND DADDIES MAKE MISTAKESWorKING 58 (Music under) oi (MIKE) for ‘This may sound square, but my kid is my imprint, you know what I mean? This is why I work. Every time I see a smart young guy walkin’ by dressed real sharp, I'm lookin’ at my kid. You know what I want? J want my kid to tell me that he’s not gonna be like me. I want him to look at me and say, “Dad, you're a nice guy, but QUIETED you're a fuckin’ dummy.” Hell, yes. If you can’t improve yourself, you improve your posterity. Otherwise, life isn’t worth nothin’. You might as well go back to the cave and stay there. I'm sure the first cave man who went over the hill to see what was on the other side—I don’t think he went there wholly out of curiosity. He went there because he wanted to get his son out of the cave .. MIKE MAN 1&2 SRNED 1 HEARD A LOTTA SONGS SAY: “WHERE YOU GOIN’, MY SON?" WHERE YOU GOIN’? NOW I KNOW THEY'RE FOR REAL GOIN’ BOY, YOU NEVER STOP TO THINK HOW FAST THE YEARS RUN HOW FAST THE YEARS RUN OR THE THINGS THEY STEAL ; NOW IT SEEMS I ALWAYS KNEW ‘OF WHY 1 DO THE THINGS I DO AND THE THINGS I NEVER DID 1DO THE THINGS DO WHY I WORK MY WHOLE DAMN LIFE OOH... ee S0'S I COULD GIVE A BETTER LIFE THAN THE ONE MY DAD COULD GIVE ME IGIVE IT TO MY KID (On applause, WORKERS slowly start to come on, one by one.) a MIKE You think about a piece of work. Even, let's say, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. This beautiful work of art. But what if he had to create the Sistine Chapel a thousand times a year? Don’t you think that would dull even Michelangelo's mind? WOMAN 3 See, it’s not just the work. Somebody built the Pyramids. MAN 2 ‘The Pyramids, the Sears Tower, these things don’t just happen.= 56 - WorkING MAN1 | don’t care how little you did, you drive down a road and you say, “I worked on this road.” WOMAN 2 If there’ s a bridge, you say, “I worked on this bridge.” WOMAN 1 I think that if a carpenter builds a cabin for poets, then the poets owe the carpenter a little plaque — just three or four lines on the wall: MAN 2 “Though we labor with our minds, this place we can relax in was built by someone who can work with his hands WOMAN 2 Picasso can point to a painting, WOMAN 1 A writer can point to a book. MAN1 What can I point to? | WOMAN 3 (Music under) You know what I'd like — I would like to see a building, say the Sears Tower, | would like to see on one side of it a foot-wide strip from top to bottom with the names of every person who's ever worked in or on that building — all the names. | So when a guy walked by, he could take his son and say MAN 1 SEE THAT BUILDING.» WOMAN 1 | WAS THE ONE WHO DID THE DESIGN | WOMAN 3 1 WAS THE ONE WHO DRAFTED THE PLANS WOMAN 1 & 3, MAN1 EVRY DETAIL AND EVRY LINEorked on carpenter a ‘someone wer, I th the names, WorKING - 57 - MAN 2 & 3, WOMEN SEE THAT BUILDING MAN 1 IRAN THE CRANE THAT LIFTED THE BEAMS MAN 2 | | | { 1 WAS THE GUY WHO WORKED UP ABOVE, WOMAN 2 LOOK AT THOSE BRICKS, THOSE BRICKS ARE MINE MAN 1 & 2, WOMAN 1 EV'RY DETAIL AND EV'RY LINE, ALL SEE THAT BUILDING WOMAN 1 LOOK HOW MY DOOR HANGS IN THE FRAME, ALL SEE THAT BUILDING MIKE FORTY FLIGHTS UP, SCRATCHED MY NAME. ALL SEE THAT BUILDING MAN1 I'M ON THE STAFF—I WORK AS A GUARD WOMAN 2 1 CLEAN THE FLOORS AND I CLEAN ’EM GOOD | WOMAN 3 t PEOPLE DON’T KNOW MY JOB 1S HARD ALL SEE THAT BUILDING WOMAN 1 FIVE DAYS A WEEK I WORK AT A DESK MAN 2 1 DO THE BOOKS, WOMAN 1 1 HANDLE THE MAILWorKING WOMAN 2 NINE ON THE DOT 1 PUNCH MY CARD ALL SEE THAT WINDOW MAN 3 UP BY THE LEDGE MAN 1 ‘TEN FROM THE TOP SEE THAT WINDOW MAN 2 COUNT FROM THE LEFT MAN 2 & WOMAN 2 ONE, MAN 3 & WOMAN 1 Two, MAN 1 & WOMAN 3 THREE ALL WOMAN1 THAT'S WHERE I WORK! ALL EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING TO POINT TO SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF MAN 2 LOOK WHAT I DID, MAN 1 SEE WHAT I'VE DONE WOMEN 1 DID THE JOB MIKE 1 WAS THE ONEWorKING ALL EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING TO POINT TO SOME WAY TO BE TALL IN THE CROWD PROUD SEE THAT BUILDING DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY ‘THAT'S WHERE I PUT MYSELF ON THE LINE THAT'S WHERE I SWEAT TO EARN MY PAY SEE THAT BUILDING MAN 3 ‘THAT'S WHERE [ PUT THE FOOD ON OUR PLATES WOMAN 3 ‘THAT'S WHERE I'VE LIVED A PIECE OF MY LIFE ALL WHERE I CAN BRING MY KIDS AND SAY: SEE THAT BUILDING MAN 2 & 3, WOMAN 1 & 3 MAN 1 ‘THE LUMBER WAS CUT 1 DECISIONS WERE MADE WAS THE SEE THAT BUILDING ONE ‘THE WINDOWS ARE WASHED THE SITE WAS SURVEYED ‘THE MEMOS ARE TYPED 1 ‘THE CONCRETE WAS LAID WAS THE ‘THE RECORDS ARE KEPT RECORDS ARE KEPT ALL ‘THE OFFICE 15 RUN ‘THE COFFEE IS SOLD THE DIGGING WAS DONE ‘THE BUILDING WAS BUILT FOR ALL EYES TO SEE BY ME! ME! WOMAN 2 1 WAS THE ONE WAS THE RECORDS ARE KEPT