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To best protect everyone present for these gatherings, please be aware that all patrons 5 and older will be required to present proof of full vaccination upon entry. Additionally, all patrons must wear face masks in order to experience the production. For more information, please see our full COVID Safety Guidelines.
Tickets are priced according to our Sliding Scale Ticketing Initiative, reflecting Working Theater’s commitment to accessibility and the belief that theater should not be a luxury or a privilege. We want to make play-going a regular part of our lives. All are welcome here. To learn more and which ticket price is right for you, please visit here.
Waterwell in association with Working Theater present:
March 17 – April 10, 2022 at HERE in Manhattan
Written by: Stefano Massini
Translated by: Francesca Spedalieri
Directed by: Mei Ann Teo
Featuring: Nicole Ansari, Jojo Brown, Danielle Davenport, Julia Gu, Simone Immanuel, Mahira Kakkar, Layla Khoshnoudi, Ebony Marshall-Oliver, Aigner Mizzelle, Sushma Saha, Carmen Zilles
Based on actual events, 7 Minutes depicts an urgent meeting of the 11 women and gender non-conforming folx elected to the union council of their rural Connecticut textile factory. Changes at the factory seem inevitable when new owners take over, giving the council only 90 minutes to vote on a decision with serious consequences for everyone at the factory. Tempers flare and anxieties boil over as individual needs, perspectives and suspicions vie for position while the clock runs down.
A razor-sharp portrait of unionized factory workers grappling in real time with the power imbalance they depend on for their very livelihoods, 7 Minutes scrutinizes the individual impact of the economic forces and labor practices currently under debate in the United States. Best known in New York for his acclaimed play The Lehman Trilogy – a searing study in the unfettered pursuit of wealth by early captains of American industry – Massini tracks in 7 Minutes the lasting effects of the capitalist system they helped build on the workers of today, who bear the brunt of ever-tightening productivity demands and decades of government policy and business interest weakening the labor movement.
Production Stage Manager: Genevieve Ortiz
Scenic Design: You-Shin Chen
Costume Design: Asa Benally
Lighting and Sound Design: Hao Bai
Props Design: Patricia Marjorie
Casting Director: Taylor Williams
Line Producer: Victor Cervantes Jr.
Production Manager: Brittany Coyne
Dramaturg: AriDy Nox
Assistant Stage Manager: Sydney Leffler
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We are proud to be producing 7 Minutes alongside partners from across the world of organized labor in NYC and beyond. Join us at the following performances for post-show discussions with leaders in the field:
Friday, March 8: In Conversation with Starbucks Workers United, Hosted by Kim Cook
Tuesday, March 22: In Conversation with Make the Road NY, which organizes to build the power of immigrant and working class communities, with special guest Aracelly Cantos
Wednesday, March 23: In Conversation with Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
Thursday, March 31: A post-show conversation between Karen Nussbam (a Founder of 9to5, SEIU 925 and Working America) + Elise Bryant (President, Labor Heritage Foundation and the Coalition for Labor Union Women)
Friday, April 1st: Students, Alumni and Faculty from CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies in dialogue with organizer Sarah Hughes (Labor Notes)
Wednesday, April 6th: Esta Bigler from Cornell’s Institute for Labor Relations facilitates a post-show conversation with the audience
Friday, April 8th: Two organizers with the Teamsters Union will speak about their upcoming campaign
Saturday, April 9th at 1:30p: Post-Show Conversation with Dr. Hayet Sellami (Professor at Columbia and NYU, whose first job was actually at a French textile factory, the same setting as the 7 Minutes play in the original Italian)
Sunday, April 10th: Off their historic win, we are closing the 7 Minutes Conversation Series with guest Chris Smalls, President of the newly-formed Amazon Labor Union. Join us after the conversation – we will be celebrating workers and organizers with an informal social hour in appreciation and gratitude for all you do and continue to do.
Working Theater is supported in part by generous community members like you, and major gifts from: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation New York Theater Program in partnership with the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York; The Howard Gilman Foundation; The Shubert Foundation; The Axe-Houghton Foundation; The Howard Bayne Fund; The Michael Tuch Foundation; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; Public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; An award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
SEASON SPONSORS: PLATINUM SPONSOR: MagnaCare.
GOLD SPONSORS: Cigna, EmblemHealth, Empire BlueCross BlueShield.
SILVER SPONSORS: CWA Local 1180, NYC Central Labor Council, Segal Consulting, United Federation of Teachers, Vision Screening Inc/DDS Inc