14 minute read
Actors Theatre of Indiana Presents: ‘Working’
Writer // Janelle Morrison • Photography // Courtesy of ATI
Actors Theatre of Indiana invites you to join them as they wrap up their 2021–22 season with “Working.” From the book by Studs Terkel, adapted by Stephen Schwartz, “Working” is the examination of 26 people from all walks of life, proving that it’s more than just a job for the average working American.
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Based on Terkel’s bestselling book of interviews with American workers, “Working” paints a vivid portrait of the men and women 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. Nominated for six Tony Awards, this classic has been updated for a modern age, featuring new songs by Tony Award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as favorites by Stephen Schwartz, Craig Carnelia and James Taylor. *This show does contain mature themes. Please go to ATIstage.org to order tickets or call the Center for the Performing Arts box office at (317) 843-3800.
Meet the Cast and a Couple of Crew Members
I spoke with the director and many of the cast members—some from out-ofstate—on what they hope the audiences will take away from “Working,” and some shared how the musical resonates with their own life stories
Adam Tran Tran is excited to be back working with ATI! You may have caught him previously in “Million Dollar Quartet,” and you may have also seen him in IRT’s “You Can’t Take It With You,” Summit Performance’s “Silent Sky” or a myriad of productions in Cincinnati (including but not limited to his one-man show “Mongrel,” developed and produced at Know Theatre of Cincinnati). “‘Working’ is sort of an homage to my family,” Tran expressed. “All of my family is blue collar, so this [production] doesn’t feel particularly challenging to me. My mom is pushing 60, and she had me when she was quite young. And because she had me when she was quite young, she didn’t have time to develop new work skills, and she has worked in a factory of some kind or another my whole life. For me, [‘Working’] is kind of about remembering where I came from.”
Allen Sledge Sledge brings years of training and performing with him to this production. Among these are his works in theater, including “The Wild Party” and “Ragtime” with Footlite Musicals and” Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” with Fort Wayne Civic Theatre. His concerts include performing with Heather Headley in the “Coming Home” concert with Unity Choir in Fort Wayne. “This is really exciting for me,” Sledge stated. “This is my first professional show in a long time, and it’s exciting that I can be where I live and work at this quality level with professionals who are all committed to the same thing and know it out of the park. It’s been fun exploring and looking at the stories of real people who have grown to find purpose and value in what they do. I think that’s something we can all relate to, whether we’re doing our dream job or doing a job that we just like.”
Aviva Pressman Pressman is an actor, singer, clown, comedian, calligrapher and medical educator. Favorite credits include National Tour and Madison Square Garden productions of “Rudolph the Musical,” “Amos & Boris” at South Coast Repertory and “The Composer Is Dead” at Disney Concert Hall. Her solo show, “Deadlift,” has been produced in Los Angeles and Philadelphia to rave reviews. Aviva toured internationally with Amazon Prime as a singer/improviser for the show “Good Omens.” Her voice can be heard in anime, Netflix dubs, podcasts, commercials and even toys! “What I hope people get out of this is that they have some perceptions challenged,” Pressman shared. “I think there’s a lot of power in the fact that these are real people’s words. You’re seeing something in common with them and are thinking about the ways that we’re all connected. The way that I’m developing my characters at this point is very technical. It’s my job as an actress to make these characters truthful and for the audience to be able to distinguish between them.”
Lillie Eliza Thomas Thomas is incredibly excited to be making her Actors Theatre of Indiana debut! Some Florida productions she has been a part of include “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Guys and Dolls” and as Esmeralda in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” She received the Orlando Sentinel Critic’s Choice for Best Lead Actress in a Musical and for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and was noted as Orlando Theater’s Best of 2021 Leading Actress in a Musical.
“I want the audience to respect other people’s journeys and to acknowledge their feelings and emotions and what they go through on a day-to-day basis,” Thomas said. “Honestly, just to recognize that we all have purpose. Your journey is going to be different from somebody else’s, and we can learn from somebody else’s story, so it’s good to have open minds, open hearts, open eyes and open ears.”
Lysa Fox Fox is excited to be directing for Actors Theatre Indiana for the first time. She is currently the head of musical theatre at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, and has an MFA in acting and directing from California State University, Long Beach. She is a native of Montana and has performed, directed and choreographed extensively in that part of the country. Lysa is a founding member of Venture Theatre in Billings, Montana, where she served as both the education director and artistic director before leaving the area in 2008.
“What I love about this [production] is, we sometimes look at some of those jobs and we think ‘grunt work,’” Fox said. “But what is really beautiful in this script is that there’s many people that have these jobs and love them, and they’re not what you think they are, and they’re not who you think they are because of the jobs that they have. So, I hope ‘Working’ holds a mirror up to people.
“I’m very excited to do this show. I was supposed to do “Damn Yankees,” but that got cancelled and ATI graciously kept me on, so this is a couple of years in the making.”
Carol Worcel Worcel is choreographing ATI’s production of “Working.” She played in the National Broadway tours of “42nd Street” and “Anything Goes.” Regional credits include “A Chorus Line,” “Annie” and “Godspell.” Carol co-owns Worcel Shepard Productions (www.WorcelShepardProductions. com) with directing/choreography credits including Sandi Patty’s “Le Voyage,” the NBA Pacer’s Pacemates, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Circle of Lights, IndyFringe, Beef and Boards, The Indy 500, as well as regional theaters, tours and opening ceremonies for national clients.
“The way that I approached the choreography for these numbers is that they are real people telling a story with choreography,” Worcel shared. “So, the choreography is not presentational like most of your bigger musicals. The character has to tell the story, and for me, the lyric is very important because that’s what I’m listening for cue-wise. I told the cast on some of the ensemble pieces where they’re dancing together to bring their own style to this—it’s not a ‘Rockette’ thing. This is telling a story by their character, and we’re having fun with it.”
The Studio Theater April 29–May 22, 2022
THE EXTRAORDINARY DREAMS OF ORDINARY PEOPLE.
A vivid portrait of the men and women that the world so often takes for granted. From the book by Studs Terkel | Adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Center’s Fifth Third Bank Box Office at the Palladium, call 317.843.3800 or visit atistage.org.
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Dr. Tim Phares
New CHS Principal Intends to Build Upon the School Traditions
Writer // Janelle Morrison • Photography // Laura Arick
Carmel Clay Schools (CCS) recently named Carmel resident Dr. Tim Phares as the next principal of Carmel High School (CHS) for the upcoming 2022–23 school year. We are pleased to feature Dr. Phares on this month’s cover and appreciate the time that he spent speaking with us about his career at CCS as well as the importance of improving the standards and carrying on the many time-honored traditions that make CHS the remarkable high school that it is.
Meet Dr. Tim Phares
Dr. Phares lives in Carmel with his wife—who graduated CHS in 1999—and their four children, who currently attend Carmel Clay Schools. Dr. Phares’ parents were both educators and were positive influences on Dr. Phares as he began his career in education.
During his 22 years in Carmel Clay Schools, Dr. Phares has gained a comprehensive background as an educator and administrator. He began his career as a kindergarten teacher at Orchard Park Elementary before serving as the assistant principal at Prairie Trace Elementary, then principal at Orchard Park and Towne Meadow.
As the current principal for Creekside Middle School, Dr. Phares has demonstrated his ability to lead and dedication to growth and achievement. Last year, the Indiana Association of School Principals recognized Dr. Phares as the District 5 Middle School Principal of the Year for his professional accomplishments, qualifications and leadership.
Dr. Phares is a longtime Carmel resident with four children who currently attend Carmel Clay Schools. Whether supporting his kids or school family, he can usually be found near a sports field, performing stage or operating the grill for the Phares crew or Creekside staff.
Dr. Phares received his B.S. in education (elementary education) from Indiana Wesleyan; M.S. in education (educational administration and supervision) from Ball State University; Ed.S. (education specialist) and Ed.D. (Doctor of Education) from Ball State University.
“When I started in this [school] district, I looked at it as they were taking a chance on me,” Dr. Phares shared. “And I always look at hiring teachers as making an investment for years to come. CCS is investing in me, and I look at what I’m going to be able to give back.”
When Dr. Phares started teaching for the CCS district more than 20 years ago, he got involved with coaching baseball and basketball and was involved with the
Carmel Dads’ Club while he continued working on his professional development, working on his administrative license and earning his doctorate.
“I was teaching kindergarten, coaching seventh- and eighth-grade sports and eventually high school sports,” Dr. Phares said. “My career has been built around all [grade] levels of kids. I give a lot of credit to the people I’ve been surrounded by— the great educators in Carmel—that took me under their wings.”
Dr. Phares continued, “I finished my doctorate in 2017 and had my superintendent’s license and felt that my ultimate goal was the central office. To me, the pinnacle of high school administration and building administration is Carmel High School. There is no better place for me to continue my educational journey than CHS.”
When the opportunity for Dr. Phares to sign on as CHS’ incoming principal for the upcoming school year, he expressed that the timing was just right.
Dr. Phares added, “It’s an opportunity to continue to learn and grow and to be part of something bigger than me. That’s what’s brought me here today.”
While walking and talking with Dr. Phares through the halls of CHS, we noticed that member of the staff and students alike stopped to exchange a few words with Dr. Phares, an indication that Dr. Phares is not only a popular figure but is approachable as well.
“I would say that building relationships has always been a big thing for me,” Dr. Phares expressed. “I always say that kids want your time, and they value that interaction. For me, that’s where the relationship piece comes in. We [educators] have to encourage the kids to get involved, and we have to connect with the kids because those relationships matter. This will be a continued goal with me—in this next role.”
Addressing the Challenges While Carrying on the Traditions
When asked what some of the challenges he will face as principal are, Dr. Phares said, “I think probably the greatest challenge will be getting back to a prepandemic level. We’ve learned a lot throughout the pandemic about things that we can do better, but there were a lot of things that we were doing really well—prepandemic—that we stopped doing just because we couldn’t do them, or we had to socially distance and things like that. So, for me, I think it’s being able to reflect on the things that we were doing well and being able to get those things going again.”
Bringing back some of CHS’ time-honored traditions that were put on hiatus is a goal of Dr. Phares’ as he begins to plan the 2022–23 school year.
“The traditions of our schools are part of the fabric of what we do every day,” Dr. Phares said. “Getting back to ‘normal’ is going to be one of the challenges, but I do feel that we are closer to that new ‘normal’ than we were a year ago. I think we’re on our way there.”
Committed to CHS and to the Carmel Community
Throughout our conversation with Dr. Phares, it was important for him to convey to the staff, students and CHS families that his “doors are always open” and that he wants to be approachable. “When I’m out in the community, I want to be approachable, and that’s not going to change just because I’m working in a bigger building or have a higher profile,” Dr. Phares emphasized. “I want to be able to have a conversation, whether I’m grilling a burger for the track meet or out and about in the community. If a parent comes up and wants to talk—let’s talk. It’s not always negative things. Sometimes they just want to share an experience or share something about their child, and those are things I want to know.”
Dr. Phares reminded us that he’s raising his own children in the district and that he and his family consider his being principal at CHS as a family commitment as much as it is an individual commitment. Dr. Phares added, “Our kids are Greyhounds, and they love it. As a family, we embrace more than just the school system. We love being out and about in the [Carmel] community. This position just creates more of an opportunity to connect with people.”
When asked about getting to know his staff and taking an honest look at what things need improvement, Dr. Phares said, “As educators, we could easily hang our hats on test score or rest our laurels on accomplishments and things that we offer our kids, but every day we are having conversations about how we can get better. These are not always easy conversations, but when they’re hard, that’s when those relationships matter the most. We talk about providing the best that we can for our students and how we can be even better. That’s one of the things that CCS does really well, and I say that about my colleagues—all 15 principals—are constantly talking about what we are doing and how we could do things differently and better. It goes back to this whole community feel of how we can continue to get better at what we do within this community.”
