On the Line
Words by Amy Burgess
Music by Amy Burgess and Rachel Dean
It is May, 1945, and the G.S. Good Rubber Factory in Akron, OH, is in the throes of rubber production for World War II. With most of the men overseas, it is no time to be frail for the female workers as they navigate the new, harsh work environment of factory life, and discover the freedom and agency that come with it. In this adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Helen, the factory forewoman, Billie, the factory machinist, Ellie, the factory owner's daughter, and Sandra, a female Naval Lieutenant turned filmmaker comprise a lovers' quartet on a collision course with their burgeoning feelings for each other and the uncertainty of a changing world. With the announcement of V-E Day, their newfound freedoms are in danger, and all four must decide how to chart their futures. Mix in Robert and Clarence (long-time partners and proprietors of the local Ritz Theatre longing for the old days of sumptuous revelry and passion), Buck (their mischievous assistant), Nick (the exceptionally handsome lead singer of the band "The 4 Fs”), and a mad-cap masked party in the woods, and the end of the war is sure to only be the beginning.