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WORKING Serves Up Theater for the 'Common Man' and Bittersweet Farewell for Pit & Balcony Director Joe Bertucci By Robert E. Martin Back row left to right Dustin Harder, Joe Bertucci, Noel Howland, Mark Weber Paul Howey, Ryan Purdy, Bill Federspiel, Steven Holty Anna Brown, Tony Bittner, Leslie Reinhold, Christy Horn, Joan Limoges Paul Kostrzewa, Amanda Strong, Mason Kolka. As a journalist I've always admired the work of Chicago's Studs Terkel. Back in the early '70s when 'The New Journalism' was all the vogue, Terkel was one of the few writers that let his subjects do the talking, yet still managed to structure the tone of his material into a carefully crafted 'page-turning' narrative. One of the first works I read by Terkel was Working - an expansive collection of interviews with people ranging from airline stewardesses and painters to corporate executives and college presidents. The work presented a mosaic of America as rendered by the people that kept it moving, colored with their hopes, aspirations, and disappointments. Back in the early 1980s, Terkel's work was adapted into the form of a play, with musical contributions provided by James Taylor, and starting on May 3rd through May 19th, WORKING will be presented by The Pit & Balcony Theatre as its final performance of the current season, as well as the final play presented by current P&B Director Joe Bertucci. Thematically, the play presents quintessential characters that define the workforce of America, from white collar all the way down to the cleaning lady. "The play is quite ingenious," explains Bertucci. "It takes young workers and very old and retired workers and presents this whole cross section of America in a two-hour play, laced together with songs relating to the characters we view. A lot of the music was written by James Taylor, so fans will appreciate & recognize his influence." A major play on Broadway, WORKING was not the type of vehicle that was really popular in the early '80s, and kind of got lost in the shuffle between Disco, shopping, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. "Stuff of substance wasn't being viewed as important back then," notes Bertucci, "kind of like Broadway today with its obsession on fluff and puff. People love set dressing and WORKING isn't about that. It's a show about real people doing real things and celebrating life in their own small way in terms of finding a way that makes life work for them". "The dramatic action is really like a Chekhov play," continues Joe. "Each person is basically telling the same story from a different perspective. The dramatic action traces each character's action through the workday and how small interactions create the drama in their daily lives." "There used to be a time when all you read about were Kings & Queens, but this work is focused on the common man and takes theatre to a level of accessibility to everyone, which is what theatre should be." According to Bertucci, the most challenging component in staging this production centers on several factors. "In this situation we're financially strapped in the Theatre right now, so this cast has put together a show in five weeks after having the music & scripts for 3-weeks because we didn't have the money to order it. Personally, I feel this is the way theatre should be done, with bare bones. We get very self-indulgent with theatre and end up doing fluff stuff. WORKING is the antithesis of the dynamic currently going on in Broadway." Bertucci also finds irony in this situation, as the popular desire to create splashy musicals because they bring in big money, also wind up costing big money. "We can do a big musical and the concert production is so astronomical that we make nothing with it, whereas if we do a straight play we can walk away with a $9,000 profit for the show," states Bertucci. "Plus, it's much more of a dramatic experience. When you take away the music in most Broadway shows you're left with 25 lines of script and they're all the same. Even with the huge musicals like Sunset Boulevard, if you strip away the music, sets, and costumes, you find the movie is a lot more dramatic and the play comes down to much ado about nothing." "I'm proud that this will be my final play for Pit & Balcony, for several reasons. After this production, I'll be going to Interlochen and then up to Petoskey to work with a group from Julliard, notes Bertucci. "WORKING is a good show because it is bare bones and takes you right to the core, plus it mirrors the situation of the theatre right now." When asked to amplify what that situation is with Pit & Balcony, one of Saginaw's long-standing theatrical organizations, Bertucci grows poignant and candid. "A few weeks ago a newspaper article appeared that was presented as an effective way to raise money for the theatre and to let people know that we were in serious trouble. Instead, the article was a vicious attack on my person, an attack that was unfound and made by people without the background or education to make such sweeping statements. I suppose this would be an appropriate time to return the attack, but I have no desire to do so. I'm not concerned about getting even. I am concerned about saving a Saginaw institution." "Here are the facts and only the facts. Two years ago when I arrived at this theater it was $80,000 in debt," states Joe. "Nothing has been done to alleviate that situation. In fact, because nothing has been done, it's gotten worse. The largest fundraiser in the last two years was the $9,000 raised by the Interlochen presentation that I organized and arranged." "I believe in Community Theater. I believe that all theater is worth saving. Each day, another theater closes its doors in this country due to lack of support. I believe that Community Theater is a place where groups of people from all walks of life come together and share, exchange ideas, and grow themselves and their communities." "I don't believe that Community Theater is a club for a small group so a few people can indulge their friends & develop showcases. During my time at P&B I've cast 80 people in a variety of roles, many of them were on stage for the first time, but with patience, love and caring, we put on productions that gave us pride & satisfaction." "It's about the process, and that's what all art is about - the process. You'll always have critics, people ready and willing to judge the final work, but unless you were involved in that process, you know nothing. That's Community Theater and that's what I want to ask this community to help save." "I chose the play WORKING because it has wonderful music by James Taylor and because I felt it reflected the lives of the people here in Saginaw. It's about the man or woman who gets up every day and goes to a job they may not like, they may even hate, but they go. They do it without drugs, booze, or malice, and in so doing, they make themselves, their communities, and their souls a little stronger." Somewhat astounded at this display of candor, I ask Bertucci why people are of the view that Big Splashy Musicals are the only way to go. "I think change is a difficult thing for people," he reflects. "I think allowing change to take its course is even more difficult. I think when people see they no longer have a place and need to give it up to someone younger, or different, they get frightened." "This is too bad, because it doesn't allow for a change of ideas. My goal here was to get involved with the community and work with as many theater organizations as possible, because I felt as the Director of a Community Theater it was my job to understand and know the community." "That's not what is wanted here. I think in the final analysis, the powers-that-be would like to be like Broadway. They'd like to do flashy shows for themselves. They don't want to go where I want to go, and that's the bottom line. They want to stay where they are." But in reviewing the financial situation, aren't those decisions predicated on what actually worked & was profitable for the theater? "The box office remains the same and quite consistent," states Joe. "That's not the question. The question is about fundraising and the commitment to do it, and that requires a long term & well-developed plan. It's not a plan you make in a week or two and not one you haul a consultant in to solve. You sit down with your membership and ask where you see yourselves in five years and then dream as big as possible and design plans to meet that dream, but you don't sit on your laurels." In retrospect, what does Bertucci feel his biggest contributions were to Pit & Balcony during his tenure? "I made them look at the finances and talked about it from the day I arrived," he reflects. "I wanted a long term plan immediately and we still don't have one. But I do think the things I'm most proud of are the relationships cultivated with the staff. We created a wonderful working environment that we all shared." "Secondly, I'm very proud of the number of new people I brought into the theater with new ideas. They didn't always work, but that's what you do when you grow - you make mistakes." "The only thing that remains the same and constant is death. If you're going to change, you're going to make mistakes and have to take risks. I also think I gave more visibility to the theater and poured my energy into being seen within the community, much more than past directors." "I'm glad that I got the name out. I like this theater a lot and 90 percent of the people here are a joy to work with. I will miss them." "It's been a pleasure." "And if this community wants to save this theater, save this organization, this Saginaw institution, then all they have to do is buy a ticket and see a really good show. " Working runs May 3-19th with performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 PM and a Sunday matinee at 3 PM. Tickets are $20.00. For more information call 754-6587.
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