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Duluth Playhouse's final Main Stage production of the season, 9 to 5, The Musical, begins tonight and runs through July 28 at the NorShor Theatre.
Based on the cult classic movie, the Broadway hit features feel-good songs by the legendary Dolly Parton and a book by Patricia Resnick, the co-writer of the original screenplay.
Set in the Rolodex era, the story follows three female coworkers – Violet, Judy, and Doralee – who are fed up with their sexist and egotistical nightmare of a boss, Franklin Hart Jr. Together, they concoct a plan to kidnap Hart, intending to expose his corruption and give their toxic workplace a dream makeover. Their actions lead to a series of comedic, chaotic, and ultimately empowering events as they take control of the company that had always kept them down.
9 to 5, The Musical is a riotous celebration of the power of female friendship, championing the idea that change is possible when people join forces and stand up for what's right.
Leading the iconic trio of “working women'' is Jen Burleigh-Bentz as Violet, the ambitious and overworked office manager. Jen was in the Broadway production of Mamma Mia! and most recently wowed audiences in the Playhouse’s Next to Normal and Into the Woods.
Local favorite Alyson Enderle (The Sound of Music) will deliver a show-stopping performance as Judy, and Haley Methner (Annie) is returning to the NorShor stage as the spirited and misunderstood “backwoods Barbie” Doralee.
The cast features Ole Dack as Franklin Hart Jr, Carrie Rossow as Roz Keith, Ryan Haff as Joe, and Sean Naughton as Dick/Tinsworthy. The ensemble includes Grace Brinkert, Kaitlyn Callahan, Hope Davis, Aaron Dumalag, Antony Ferguson, Cindy Hansen, Brianna Hall-Nelson, Kristen Hylenski, Kenny Johnson, Ben LaBerge, Tanner Rex Longshore, Kyle McMillan, Tyler Railey, Hunter Ramsden and Lussi Pearl Salmela.
Hilarious, thought-provoking, and even a little romantic, 9 to 5, The Musical will fill our audience’s summer days with laughter.
Nurses at Essentia Health-Duluth Clinic 3rd Street and Patient Flow hospital nurses vote overwhelmingly for union representation
Essentia Health-Duluth Clinic 3rd Street and Patient Flow hospital nurses today announced that they voted overwhelmingly to form unions represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association this week to gain a collective voice in their workplaces to improve working conditions and how care is provided to their patients.
“We are excited to be part of a union and now have a say in our nursing role,” said Keri Sterbenz, RN in Patient Flow at Essentia Health-Duluth Hospital. “It is encouraging to know that we will now have the support of several hundred other nurses at Essentia to help guide us in future decisions.”
“Our patients are at the heart of everything we do,” shared Amber Ahlbrecht, RN at Essentia Health-Duluth's 3rd Street Clinic. “We want to make a difference in people’s lives and contribute to the overall health and well-being of our community. To achieve this, nurses must advocate for themselves as well.”
Nurses at Essentia’s 3rd Street Clinic sought a union to collaboratively negotiate employment terms, work conditions, and patient care standards, thus leading to greater job satisfaction, nurse retention, and quality patient care. Patient Flow nurses at Essentia Health-Duluth Hospital held their election to join the existing Essentia hospital bargaining unit.
The nurses join nearly 250 Essentia workers who have voted to form a union with MNA in 2024. That number could go even higher when St. Mary’s-Superior Wisconsin Clinic vote on July 24 and the votes are tallied from the East Market Advanced Practice Providers mail-in election later this month.
