Florida State University’s School of Theater is shining the spotlight on empowerment in the workplace through its version of the 1980s musical 9 to 5. Many of the themes of the workplace musical still resonate today.
The musical’s director, Jacob Ben Widmar, says the quote by Dolly Parton “it’s hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world” represents one of the main themes in 9-5. He believes marginalized voices need greater workplace representation.
Widmar says Violet Newstead, one of the characters sums it up well when she says, “the fight is not over to be heard and recognized.”
Catherine Roddey plays Doralee Rhodes—the part played by Dolly Parton in the 9 to 5 movie. She says the play explores who is marginalized in the workplace.
“It’s this certain standard…It’s a man being always in power no matter what he does, he will always get that privilege but if we mess up even just a little bit, we are taken down so many levels. They expect more out of us. Sticking it to the man is tearing down that concept that there are so many different kinds of looks when it comes to power,” Rhodes says.
For Widmar, the musical itself is an effort to promote greater representation in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, and country of origin. He likens the pressure some of these groups face, to the process of creating diamonds.
“A diamond is one of the hardest stones and one of the most valuable so the show as it applies to 2023 especially when you look at Violet’s speech in the final scene, she doesn’t stick to female pronouns. We are all the little guy. him, she they. In 2023 it refers to all marginalized voices”
The musical took place from October 13 through the 22nd in the Fallon Theater at Florida State.
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