The Elliott Taubenslag Theater
East Brunswick Community Arts Center
721 Cranbury Road * East Brunswick, New Jersey

​Adapted by Nina Faso and Stephen Schwartz, with additional contributions by Gordon Greenberg.  Songs by Craig Carnelia, James Taylor, Mary Rodgers, Micki Grant, Stephen Schwartz, Susan Birkenhead, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
From the book by Studs Terkel

 

Playhouse 22 is looking for performers for its November  2026 production of Working (2012 Revised). Playhouse 22 is committed to inclusive casting and encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, body types, and abilities to audition.  All roles are open.

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Performance Dates: The show will run November 5-22; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Rehearsals will begin on or around September 20, 2026.

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Tech/Dress Rehearsals: November 1-5, 2026

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Director: Matthew Muccigrossi

Auditions will be held at the East Brunswick Community Arts Center, 721 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick, New Jersey, or by video submission.

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Audition Dates: Wednesday, August 19 and Thursday, August 20 from 7:00-9:00pm

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Video submissions due no later than Sunday, August 16, 2026 and must be submitted to auditions@playhouse22.org.  Please include your name and contact information.  

Please prepare 32 bars of a contemporary musical theatre or pop/folk song in the style of the show along with one of the monologues provided. No need to memorize.

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Please select one of the monologues from this link to prepare for auditions. It does not need to be memorized.

 

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SYNOPSIS

Based on Studs Terkel's best-selling book of interviews with American workers, Working paints a vivid portrait of the workers that the world so often takes for granted: the schoolteacher, the phone operator, the waitress, the millworker, the mason and the housewife, just to name a few.:

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BREAKDOWN
Seeking 6 strong actors who sing ages 20s-60s to play 26 different characters. Dependent on auditions, the creative team may elect to expand the cast by 1-2 actors by splitting some of the below tracks.

 

MALE PRESENTING TRACK 1 – 30s. Any race/ethnicity.

Sings: “The Mason” (Craig Carnelia), “Brother Trucker” (James Taylor)

Rex Winship, hedgefund manager.

Frank Decker, interstate trucker.

Conrad Swibel, UPS delivery man.

"Mason" Soloist.

Tom Patrick, fireman.

Ralph Werner.

 

MALE PRESENTING TRACK 2 – 20s. Latinx, Asian, Black.
Sings: “Delivery” (Lin-Manuel Miranda), “A Very Good Day” (Lin-Manuel Miranda)

Freddy Rodriguez, fast food worker.

Raj Chadha, tech support.

Allen Epstein, community organizer.

Anthony Coelho, stone mason.

Utkarsh Trajillo, elder care worker.

Charlie Blossom, ex-newsroom assistant.

 

MALE PRESENTING TRACK 3 – 40s-60s. Any race/ethnicity.
Sings: “Joe” (Craig Carnelia), “Fathers and Sons” (Stephen Schwartz)

Mike Dillard, ironworker.

Eddie Jaffe, publicist.

Joe Zutty, retiree.

 

FEMALE PRESENTING TRACK 1 – 30s-40s. Latinx, Asian, Black.
Sings: “Millwork” (James Taylor), “A Very Good Day” (Lin-Manuel Miranda)

Terry Mason, flight attendant.

Sharon Atkins, receptionist.

Grace Clements, millworker.

Theresa Liu, nanny.

 

FEMALE PRESENTING TRACK 2 – 30s. Black.
Sings: “Just a Housewife” (Craig Carnelia), “Cleanin’ Women” (Micki Grant)

Amanda McKenny, project manager.

Kate Rushton, housewife.

Roberta Victor, prostitute.

Maggie Holmes, cleaning lady.

 

FEMALE PRESENTING TRACK 3 – 40s-60s. Any race/ethnicity.
Sings: “It’s an Art” (Stephen Schwartz), “Nobody Tells Me How” (Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead)

Rose Hoffman, schoolteacher.

Candy Cottingham, fundraiser.

Delores Dante, waitress.