Will Work For

From the Great Depression to the Great Crash of 2008, America has had its share of job instability; however, it is normally discussed behind closed doors or trickle-down platforms that rarely address the day to day turmoil experienced by the unemployed. Dacyl Acevedo’s Will Work For captures this frustration through comic relief in less than ninety minutes of pure enjoyment.

Clips of mass amounts of people waiting during job fairs and signs with the most heart wrenching messages to our government capture your attention before the lights go down. We all know someone who has been affected by it. And then it happens, a woman enters carrying her briefcase, Backberry, designer shades, Starbucks coffee cup and a platinum credit card. The quintessential image of the American workforce…completely oblivious.

What happens to that picturesque lifestyle when you get the infamous pink slip? How deeply does it affect your self-worth when you have to ask for monetary favors from friends and family or choose to shut yourself out from society because you don’t have the necessary tools for survival?

Regardless of one’s educational degree, gender, sexual orientation, or industry the joblessness factor of our society has penetrated the depths of our go-getter, cultural attitude. Covering 21 characters flawlessly, Acevedo’s attention to detail is inspiring. Almost to the point where you begin to ask yourself where am I in this perpetual merry-go-round called job stability?

Yet, don’t cast this play as dismal, because it is not. Costume changes with props to compliment and a few appearances by a clown alleviate any uncomfortableness you may feel. Focusing on more than the topic at hand, Dacyl’s cultural references are spot on, leaving everyone in the audience completely enraptured. Her loud, passionate outbursts contrasted with quiet, reflective moments of pain take you on an emotional rollercoaster, all the while keeping you interested and invested.

Will Work For is a piece that will be able to transcend decades as well as generational gaps as our high school graduates debate attending college to solely accrue debt; our college students face the possibility of not having a job in their field of study, and certainly the general workforce of those who have put in their dues and nevertheless are still faced with the sad question of does seniority really mean anything anymore?

Dacyl Acevedo, keep doing exactly what you’re doing as it is duly recognized.

Take me to the DCTS 2014 Capital Fringe Guide