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Nickel &
Dimed Exposes Plight of Low Wage Workers in
The
Western Stage continues its dynamic 2007 season July 27 - August 19 with Nickel
and Dimed, Joan Holden’s stage adaptation based on Barbara Ehrenreich’s
bestselling book. Balanced by compelling characters and lots of humor, this
exploration of the day to day struggle of the working poor in America will make
you laugh, cry, and clench your fists in anger. Performances are Fri and Sat at
Salinas, CA —
According to a
study by the United States Department of Labor, approximately 31 million
Americans or 11.3% of the population could count themselves as members of the
working poor in America in the year 2000. Jump four years later to 2004 and a
similar study by the Labor Department found that these numbers had catapulted
to 37 million or 12.7% of the population, translating to the addition of 6
million people to this dubious club in just a few years.
Yet, who are
these people we call “the working poor”? Certainly they are more than just
statistics. They are our mothers, sisters, brothers, uncles, friends, and
neighbors who tirelessly labor as waitresses, store clerks, house cleaners, and
any number of low wage jobs which offer an abundance of opportunities for
humiliation and abuse, but very little in the way of standard of living or
health benefits.
On July 27th,
The Western Stage will put a face to these statistics when it opens Joan
Holden’s adaptation of Barbara Ehrenreich’s bestselling book Nickel and
Dimed: Or (Not) Getting by in America in the Studio Theater.
In 1998,
Barbara Ehrenreich made a novel pitch to her editor at Harper’s
magazine. Inspired by the heated debate surrounding welfare reform during the
Clinton Administration, which suggested just getting any old job would improve
people’s lives, Ehrenreich proposed going undercover to work at a series of low
wage positions to test this theory. Her editor loved the idea, and so over the
next two years Ehrenreich traveled from Florida to Maine working as a waitress,
house cleaner, and store clerk at “Mal-Mart”. Her investigation culminated with
a critically acclaimed book that challenged many preconceptions about the
working poor in America, especially erroneous notions that the jobs these
people perform require no real skills or that $7.00 an hour is the minimum wage
a person needs to live on.
Ehrenreich, in
fact, discovers the opposite is true. After working several of these positions,
and meeting many of the women who perform these jobs—for women are more likely
to be members of the “working poor” than are men—she discovers these positions
do in fact require a strong amount of physical endurance and mental agility to
succeed. She also learns first hand the challenges many of these women face,
from Carlie, a bitter and overworked maid who only eats bread crumbs for lunch
because she can’t afford anything better, to Maddy, a single mother who locks
her children in a closet so she can go to work because she can not afford
daycare.
The book
became an instant bestseller when it was published in 2000; and Joan Holden’s
adaptation of received comparable acclaim when it premiered in 2002 at the
Intiman Theatre in Seattle. (For more about Joan Holden and the development of
Nickel and Dimed, please see the supplemental article.)
Nickel and
Dimed is directed by Teresa K. Pond whose theatre credits span both coasts,
from New York City to Los Angeles. Recent productions include Lysistrata,
Amahl and the Night Visitors, West Side Story, Of Mice and Men, and Perfect
Wedding. After completing this project for The Western Stage, she will be
traveling back to New York to direct Much Ado About Nothing and Extraordinay,
a new musical at Vital Theatre.
Nickel and
Dimed plays in the
Studio Theater, Hartnell College Performing Arts Center, through August 19th.
Performances are Fri and Sat at 8 pm, and Sun at 2 pm. Season tickets are still available, saving
patrons upwards of 42% off the single ticket price. To reserve seats or find
out about subscription packages, visit The Western Stage online at or call the box office at (831)
375-2111.
Dan Tarker
Literary
Associate