"Nickel and Dimed" Comes to Albuquerque

"Nickel and Dimed" will be playing at the University of New Mexico. It is based on the book by Barbara Ehrenreich and adapted for the stage by Joan Holden. The play focuses on the character of Barbara, an upscale magazine writer who gets assigned to see what it's like to live in the shoes of working women in this country. She thinks it'll be a piece of cake and discovers, instead, the reality of what some refer to as "the working poor": the necessity of two jobs just to barely make it; the string of bad relationships; the sexism; the extreme classism; the unethical working practices and the crushing aspects of "the system." We follow her through her jobs as a waitress, hotel room cleaner, maid, and employee at "mall mart." We also get a peek into the lives of the women and men that she meets along the way.

It will be performed in Rodey Theatre by a cast of five women and one man. The show plays October 8-9 at 7:30 p.m.; October 10th at 2 p.m.; then comes back for three more shows on Oct 21-23 at 7:30 p.m. The cost is: $12 general admission; $8 for faculty/staff/seniors ; and $6 for students.

Tickets to all UNM Theatre & Dance performances may be purchased at the UNM Fine Arts Ticket Office at the entrance to the UNM Bookstore at Cornell and Central or by calling 277-4569. Tickets are also available from any tickets.com outlet, or by calling 851-5050, or online at https://www.tickets.com.

Here's an article on the book and some info on Ehrenreich. There's also a website devoted to the book and related issues and here's a review of the book. This Guardian Unlimited interview with Barbara Ehrenreich is also excellent. (Thanks to Lois K. for this story.)