The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘What they do is art, too’
WesWorks highlights often ‘invisible’ facilities workers
MIDDLETOWN — This weekend, Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts will host a unique show that highlights often underappreciated staff who keep the college running.
Running through Saturday, these performances are the first public, in-person CFA events held since the pandemic began,
“WesWorks — A Performance with Wesleyan University Facilities Staff,” is a collaboration between the college and Forklift Danceworks, an innovative production group founded 20 years ago by Allison Orr, a distinguished fellow in the College of the Environment and visiting assistant professor of environmental studies.
Orr has put on similar shows at Williams College, Wake Forest University, and an award-winning performance at an Austin airport called “Trash Dance,” which features Austin, Texas, sanitation workers. She said the university has been particularly supportive of her efforts, allowing her to try out a lot of her ideas.
“Wesleyan has really been a laboratory for us,” Orr said.
What makes Orr’s free show one-of-a-kind is that all the actors featured in the show are employees of Wesleyan University. Members of the custodial staff, groundskeepers, customer support staff, power plant and physical plant employees are among departments represented in the show.
Jennifer Calienes, interim director of the Center for the Arts, said that WesWorks in part highlights the work these employees do. “Through the performance, we see the work they do day to day,” she said. “What they do is art, too.”
Fiona Coffey, associate director for programming and performing arts, and Rani Arbo, campus and community engagement manager, expressed similar views.
“It puts people in the spotlight that never get to be,” Coffey said.
“These services are meant to be invisible, but, for this show, we put them front and center,” Arbo said.
Such staff efforts are especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, Arbo said, because, over the past several months, facilities employees have carried increased duties.
“Our campus stayed open when others didn’t because of our facilities staff,” Arbo said. “I think the show feels more significant after these past several months.”
Planning had begun for the show in 2019, and, when the pandemic hit, it almost put an end to the plans. Orr said that due to her close relationship with Wesleyan, the fact that staff were still on campus, and had ample outdoor space to work with, the performance was still able to be brought together.
“This is probably the only campus we could’ve done this during the pandemic,” Orr said.
“This is a huge triumph,” Coffey added.
The show runs for about 90 minutes, and audiences walk to five stations around campus to highlight the work that keeps the school up and running.
All involved said the show is just meant to be the beginning. Arbo said this is an example of how facilities workers can be further incorporated into the campus ecosystem.
“It’s a way of working with staff and students and bridging that divide,” Arbo said.
The effort is already underway in a few other ways at Wesleyan. A few staff members acting in the play have helped teach a home maintenance course for students. Others have allowed students to shadow them during their day-today work duties for several years.
“It shows that students aren’t just mentored by their professors here,” Coffey said.
Shows, which begin at Andrus Field, 55 Wyllys Ave., run Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with a rain date of Sunday at the same time. For tickets, visit wesleyan.edu/cfa.