The Baker Theater Department is performing “Working,” the musical adaption of Studs Terkel’s nonfiction book of the same name, at 7:30 p.m. March 5-7 and 2 p.m. on March 8 in Rice Auditorium.

The musical depicts the career experiences of different workers who are often taken for granted in today’s society. Freshman Sarah Queen plays a receptionist and sings in the chorus.

Music Theater International gives this description of the show: “The hopes, dreams, joys and concerns of the average working American are the focus of this unique, extraordinary musical.”

“The show is in the form of an interview,” Queen said. “These different people tell about their jobs and what that entails. You take away knowledge about what people do every day and about the trivial, seemingly meaningless, things that really do matter.”

In the course of a 24 hour workday, the audience meets various workers, including stone masons, waitresses, iron workers and even prostitutes, and hears their stories. MTI credits the show to be one of the most accessible, relevant and substantive musicals ever created.

Junior Chelsie Pyatt, the spotlight operator for the show, could feel the emotion of the show from the stage crew’s perspective.

“It was really eye-opening,” Pyatt said. “I almost cried once during a rehearsal. They were singing about helping the elderly. It was very touching, and the actors really portray the passion for what their characters are doing.”

Theater students are not the only ones excited for the production. Assistant Professor of English Marti Mihalyi has taught the book to various classes over the past few semesters, and is using the musical as a way to further her students’ understanding.

“When I found out that Baker was producing the musical, I was excited to the core,” Mihalyi said. “I am thrilled partially for personal reasons, but also because my students will be using that as a textbook.”

Mihalyi teaches the book in both basic and advanced composition courses. She believes that the lessons in the book are relevant to students of all levels.

“This book is a gift to all writing students,” Mihalyi said, adding that they will encounter voices they will never forget and “consider what it means to be a worker in America. This book teaches empathy.”

Mihalyi believes that by teaching “Working” she is not only helping her students but also the students who are performing the show.

“I see the incorporation of the book into my three courses as a deliberate gift to BU actors,” Mihalyi said. “Because many of my students from two semesters will attend, those actors will have a larger, more deeply informed audience for their performance.”