In 1974, Chicago radio broadcaster Studs Terkel published a best-selling compilation of interviews with a cross-section of Americans talking about their jobs entitled, "Working." In 2007-2008 additional interviews were conducted. Terkel described it as "the extraordinary dreams of ordinary people."
The characters in Working, The Musical are non-fictional characters. Their names have been changed, but their words have not. Even in the case of song lyrics, the writers have tried to remain as faithful as possible to the character's original words.
This new 2012 version of Working is a musical exploration of 26 people from all walks of life. While most of the professions have been updated, the show's strengths are in the core truths that transcend specific professions and time itself; the key is how people's relationships to their work ultimately reveal essential aspects of their humanity, regardless of the trappings of the job itself or the era in which it takes place.
