Musical Makers Show List

Belles of the Mill ©2002
book by Rachel Rubin Ladutke • HOME PAGE
music and lyrics by Jill Marshall-Work• HOME PAGE

Based on the play The Belles of the Mill
by Rachel Rubin Ladutke

CASTING:
5–6 Females
6 Males + 1 male child
3+ women’s chorus
SYNOPSIS:
Lawrence, Massachusetts. 1912. In the throes of a bitter New England winter, thousands of immigrant textile workers begin a bold strike, and the lives of two very different women are forever changed...Bridget Gallagher, a young Irish Catholic mill worker, is reluctantly drawn into the strike and finds her destiny through struggle; and Sarah Weissmann, a Jewish midwife, jeopardizes her livelihood and her family when she tries to help the strikers.

Weaving a simple tale of courage and transformation with an evocative, dramatic and delightfully playful score, Belles of the Mill will touch the soul of everyone who has ever had to fight to protect their families, their dignity and their self-respect in the face of injustice and prejudice.

THE CAST:
JOSEFINA PRAZKA*: a Polish mill worker. 40s.
ANNA LO PIZZO*: an Italian mill worker. 30s.
LUCIA COGNOSCI*: an Italian mill worker. Quick-tempered. Pregnant. Early 30s.
ALBERT COLLINS*: an English mill official, who will never be mistaken for intelligent. 40s.
HIRAM STERN: a Russian-born Jewish shopkeeper. Early 30s. Walks with a limp.
SARAH WEISSMANN: Hiram’s sister-in-law. Midwife to many immigrant women. 36.
JACOB STERN: Hiram’s oldest child. Feisty, intelligent, and impulsive. 12.
BRIDGET GALLAGHER*: an Irish mill worker. Strong-willed and courageous. 17.
FATHER PAUL O’CONNOR*: head priest of St. Mary’s Church and Bridget’s uncle. 40s–50s.
WILLIAM WOOD: President of American Woolen Co. 40s–50s.
PATRICK MONAGHAN: Lawrence Chief of Police. 50s–60s.
OFFICER SEAN RYAN: a policeman. Charming, well-meaning, and not at all cerebral. 20s.
ELIZABETH GURLEY FLYNN: an I.W.W. organizer. Charismatic and fiery. 21.
CHORUS: at least 3 women to play strikers, mill workers, churchgoers, etc.

*denotes a character who speaks with an accent

NOTES:
Musical drama.

Ensemble show; all roles are leads or featured performers. Most characters double as chorus. Accents (Eastern European, Italian, Irish, Cockney) required for about half of the characters.

Appropriate to be performed by professional, collegiate, or talented amateur or high school performers.

PICTURES FROM THE
MIDTOWN INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL
PRODUCTION:

THE CASTS FROM VARIOUS
READINGS/RECORDINGS/PERFORMANCES:

JOSEFINA PRAZKA, a Polish mill worker: Bridget Harvey, Rhonda Dodd
ANNA LO PIZZO, an Italian mill worker: Amanda Weeden*
LUCIA COGNOSCI, an Italian mill worker: Ellen, Phoebe Geer, Shorey Walker*
ALBERT COLLINS, an English mill official: Richard Bacon, Davd Albiero
HIRAM STERN, a Russian-born Jewish shopkeeper: Bill Quinlan,* Stuart Marshall*
SARAH WEISSMANN, Hiram’s sister-in-law; midwife to many immigrant women:
Sharron Bower,* Donna Jeanne, Bridget Harvey
JACOB STERN: Hiram’s oldest child. 12: Matthew, Cohlie Brocato,* Heather Larson, Jake Sokoloff
BRIDGET GALLAGHER: an Irish mill worker: Elissa Ann Yudofsky, K. Elizabeth Ware,
Katherine McClain,* Annalyn Frame
FATHER PAUL O’CONNOR, head priest of St. Mary’s Church; Bridget’s uncle: Joseph E. Murray,*
Jim McNickle*
WILLIAM WOOD, President of American Woolen Co.: Joe Enderson, Walter Ulrich*
PATRICK MONAGHAN, Lawrence Chief of Police: David Green,
OFFICER SEAN RYAN, a policeman: Patrick Porter, * Roy Leatherby, Shayne Mims
ELIZABETH GURLEY FLYNN, an I.W.W. organizer: Amanda Weeden *
CHORUS (strikers, mill workers, churchgoers, etc.):
Katarina—Heather Bloomgren
Greta— Heather Larson
Jacqueline—Eileen Luscombe, Jill Marshall-Work, Rachel Rubin Ladutke
Oscar—John Myers
Fred— Richie Venezia

*members of Actors Equity Association

MUSICAL NUMBERS:
(all music/lyrics ©2002 Jill Marshall-Work)

• Pennies In Our Pay MP3 ALBERT COLLINS, STRIKERS
• Hurry Home
• No Easy Answers MP3 ANNA, LUCIA, SARAH, BRIDGET
• Stop the Strikers
• Get the Picture MP3 BRIDGET, SARAH MP3 BRIDGET, COLLINS
• My Kind of Hero
• Cossacks in the Night
• Finding My Place MP3 BRIDGET
• Give Us Hope Today
• No More to Give MP3 BRIDGET + SEAN
• No Place is Safe
• Let Us All Join Together MP3 ELIZABETH GURLEY FLYNN
• Hurry Home reprise
• Negotiation Rag MP3
• 20,000 Strikers
• No More to Give reprise
• A Time for Action MP3 SARAH
• Another Chance to Begin MP3 BRIDGET, SEAN
• Women Who Lead MP3 BRIDGET, SARAH, ELIZABETH
• It Could Have Been Me MP3 BRIDGET, STRIKERS
• My Kind of Hero reprise
• One Day/Finale MP3 COMPANY

Full backers’ demo recording 3/02 at LRP Studios in New York, NY
Tatyana Liberman, sound engineer
Musical Direction for demo by Jill Marshall-Work and Nicholas Cheng
with accompaniment by Nicholas Cheng

K.Elizabeth Ware (BRIDGET) and Roy Leatherby (SEAN) record “Another Chance to Begin.”

SET:
Can be done with a unit set with phases

TYPE:
Two-act musical

ORCHESTRATION:
Piano-vocal score

PRODUCTION HISTORY:

Seen off-off-Broadway
Midtown International Theatre
Festival
in Manhattan.

Performed as an
Equity Showcase.

Raw Space, 529 w. 42nd St.
July–August, 2002
(Included extended run as part of the “Best of the Fest” week.)

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY:
• Internal workshop/reading 12/01
Directed by Arlene Schulman
Musical Direction by Jill Marshall-Work

• Internal workshop/reading 2/02
Directed by Arlene Schulman
Musical Direction by Jill Marshall-Work and Nicholas Cheng

• Equity Showcase production 7/02
Midtown International Theatre Festival
Selected as "Best of the Fest"
Directed by Arlene Schulman
Musical Direction by Brian Allan Hobbs

• Informal reading
Directed by Arlene Schulman

• Staged reading 10/07
The Theatre Project
Cranford, NJ
Midtown International Theatre Festival
Directed by Arlene Schulman
Musical Direction by James Lubrano

Seeking additional development opportunities.

AVAILABILITY:
Available Materials
• Perusal Script
• Piano/vocal score
• Demo CD
• Logo

Contact for Production Rights
and Materials:
Jill Marshall-Work or
Rachel Rubin Ladutke

		Belles of the Mill ©2002 book by Rachel Rubin Ladutke • HOME PAGE music and lyrics by Jill Marshall-Work• HOME PAGE Based on the play The Belles of the Mill by Rachel Rubin Ladutke
CASTING: 5–6 Females 6 Males + 1 male child 3+ women’s chorus		SYNOPSIS: Lawrence, Massachusetts. 1912. In the throes of a bitter New England winter, thousands of immigrant textile workers begin a bold strike, and the lives of two very different women are forever changed...Bridget Gallagher, a young Irish Catholic mill worker, is reluctantly drawn into the strike and finds her destiny through struggle; and Sarah Weissmann, a Jewish midwife, jeopardizes her livelihood and her family when she tries to help the strikers. Weaving a simple tale of courage and transformation with an evocative, dramatic and delightfully playful score, Belles of the Mill will touch the soul of everyone who has ever had to fight to protect their families, their dignity and their self-respect in the face of injustice and prejudice. THE CAST: JOSEFINA PRAZKA: a Polish mill worker. 40s. ANNA LO PIZZO: an Italian mill worker. 30s. LUCIA COGNOSCI: an Italian mill worker. Quick-tempered. Pregnant. Early 30s. ALBERT COLLINS: an English mill official, who will never be mistaken for intelligent. 40s. HIRAM STERN: a Russian-born Jewish shopkeeper. Early 30s. Walks with a limp. SARAH WEISSMANN: Hiram’s sister-in-law. Midwife to many immigrant women. 36. JACOB STERN: Hiram’s oldest child. Feisty, intelligent, and impulsive. 12. BRIDGET GALLAGHER: an Irish mill worker. Strong-willed and courageous. 17. FATHER PAUL O’CONNOR: head priest of St. Mary’s Church and Bridget’s uncle. 40s–50s. WILLIAM WOOD: President of American Woolen Co. 40s–50s. PATRICK MONAGHAN: Lawrence Chief of Police. 50s–60s. OFFICER SEAN RYAN: a policeman. Charming, well-meaning, and not at all cerebral. 20s. ELIZABETH GURLEY FLYNN: an I.W.W. organizer. Charismatic and fiery. 21. CHORUS: at least 3 women to play strikers, mill workers, churchgoers, etc. denotes a character who speaks with an accent NOTES: Musical drama. Ensemble show; all roles are leads or featured performers. Most characters double as chorus. Accents (Eastern European, Italian, Irish, Cockney) required for about half of the characters. Appropriate to be performed by professional, collegiate, or talented amateur or high school performers. PICTURES FROM THE MIDTOWN INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL PRODUCTION: THE CASTS FROM VARIOUS READINGS/RECORDINGS/PERFORMANCES: JOSEFINA PRAZKA, a Polish mill worker: Bridget Harvey,* Rhonda Dodd ANNA LO PIZZO, an Italian mill worker: Amanda Weeden* LUCIA COGNOSCI, an Italian mill worker: Ellen, Phoebe Geer, Shorey Walker* ALBERT COLLINS, an English mill official: Richard Bacon, Davd Albiero HIRAM STERN, a Russian-born Jewish shopkeeper: Bill Quinlan,* Stuart Marshall* SARAH WEISSMANN, Hiram’s sister-in-law; midwife to many immigrant women: Sharron Bower,* Donna Jeanne, Bridget Harvey JACOB STERN: Hiram’s oldest child. 12: Matthew, Cohlie Brocato,* Heather Larson, Jake Sokoloff BRIDGET GALLAGHER: an Irish mill worker: Elissa Ann Yudofsky, K. Elizabeth Ware, Katherine McClain,* Annalyn Frame FATHER PAUL O’CONNOR, head priest of St. Mary’s Church; Bridget’s uncle: Joseph E. Murray,* Jim McNickle* WILLIAM WOOD, President of American Woolen Co.: Joe Enderson, Walter Ulrich* PATRICK MONAGHAN, Lawrence Chief of Police: David Green, OFFICER SEAN RYAN, a policeman: Patrick Porter, * Roy Leatherby, Shayne Mims ELIZABETH GURLEY FLYNN, an I.W.W. organizer: Amanda Weeden * CHORUS (strikers, mill workers, churchgoers, etc.): Katarina—Heather Bloomgren Greta— Heather Larson Jacqueline—Eileen Luscombe, Jill Marshall-Work, Rachel Rubin Ladutke Oscar—John Myers Fred— Richie Venezia members of Actors Equity Association MUSICAL NUMBERS: (all music/lyrics ©2002 Jill Marshall-Work) • Pennies In Our Pay MP3* ALBERT COLLINS, STRIKERS • Hurry Home • No Easy Answers MP3 ANNA, LUCIA, SARAH, BRIDGET • Stop the Strikers • Get the Picture MP3 BRIDGET, SARAH MP3 BRIDGET, COLLINS • My Kind of Hero • Cossacks in the Night • Finding My Place MP3 BRIDGET • Give Us Hope Today • No More to Give MP3 BRIDGET + SEAN • No Place is Safe • Let Us All Join Together MP3 ELIZABETH GURLEY FLYNN • Hurry Home reprise • Negotiation Rag MP3 • 20,000 Strikers • No More to Give reprise • A Time for Action MP3 SARAH • Another Chance to Begin MP3 BRIDGET, SEAN • Women Who Lead MP3 BRIDGET, SARAH, ELIZABETH • It Could Have Been Me MP3 BRIDGET, STRIKERS • My Kind of Hero reprise • One Day/Finale MP3 COMPANY Full backers’ demo recording 3/02 at LRP Studios in New York, NY Tatyana Liberman, sound engineer Musical Direction for demo by Jill Marshall-Work and Nicholas Cheng with accompaniment by Nicholas Cheng K.Elizabeth Ware (BRIDGET) and Roy Leatherby (SEAN) record “Another Chance to Begin.”
SET: Can be done with a unit set with phases
TYPE: Two-act musical
ORCHESTRATION: Piano-vocal score
PRODUCTION HISTORY: Seen off-off-Broadway Midtown International Theatre Festival in Manhattan. Performed as an Equity Showcase. Raw Space, 529 w. 42nd St. July–August, 2002 (Included extended run as part of the “Best of the Fest” week.)

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY: • Internal workshop/reading 12/01 Directed by Arlene Schulman Musical Direction by Jill Marshall-Work • Internal workshop/reading 2/02 Directed by Arlene Schulman Musical Direction by Jill Marshall-Work and Nicholas Cheng • Equity Showcase production 7/02 Midtown International Theatre Festival Selected as "Best of the Fest" Directed by Arlene Schulman Musical Direction by Brian Allan Hobbs • Informal reading Directed by Arlene Schulman • Staged reading 10/07 The Theatre Project Cranford, NJ Midtown International Theatre Festival Directed by Arlene Schulman Musical Direction by James Lubrano Seeking additional development opportunities.

AVAILABILITY: Available Materials • Perusal Script • Piano/vocal score • Demo CD • Logo Contact for Production Rights and Materials: Jill Marshall-Work or Rachel Rubin Ladutke