Published: November 16, 2021
UT Presents 9 to 5: The Musical
The University of Tampa’s Department of Theatre and Dance presents 9 to 5: The Musical. Performances will take place in the Falk Theatre on campus from Thursday, Nov. 18, to Sunday, Nov. 21. The Nov. 18-20 performances will all be at 8 p.m., and the Sunday, Nov. 21, performance will be a matinee at 2 p.m. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the start of the show. The event is free and open to the public with masks required. Attendees will be asked to sign in upon entrance in order to socially distance.
The musical comedy is directed and choreographed by Paul Finocchiaro, associate professor of theatre, with musical direction by Tara Swartzbaugh, part-time music faculty.
The musical comedy is directed and choreographed by Paul Finocchiaro, associate professor of theatre, with musical direction by Tara Swartzbaugh, part-time music faculty. Based on the 1980 hit movie written by Patricia Resnick and featuring music by Dolly Parton, 9 to 5: The Musical follows three women comically working together to exact revenge on their evil, sexist boss.
“9 to 5 means to me that we have come a long way since the early 1980s . . . where harassment in the workplace was a real thing and nobody talked about it over fear of being fired,” said Finocchiaro. “I wanted to show the audience that they have the power, where the power came from and that they, too, can be empowered in everything they do.”
The musical stars James Swallow ’21 as Franklin Hart, the boss; Morgan Wolfe ’21, as Violet Newstead, Franklin’s top assistant; and Hope Lelekacs ’24 and Alyssa Peyton ’21 as Judy Bernly and DoraLee Rhodes, Violet’s feisty coworkers.
For more information, contact Finocchiaro at pfinocchiaro@ut.edu or (813) 253-6243.
