"Sweet and low or loud and clear,
there's a song each of us sings.
Come together, feel the power
of voices raised.
Though at times we strain to hear,
hope is calling; freedom rings,
always answering the sound
of voices raised."

-Voices Raised
a song about rights
sung by The Farmer,
played by Phyllis Chapell

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Our fate's bound
inextricably,
in justice and in liberty.
Rise or fall,
we'll always be
together, indivisibly."

-Indivisibly
a song about responsibility
sung by The Mother,
played by Venissa Santi

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"You've nothing to fear
but the fear that has bound you,
so join hands together,
continue the dance!"

-Life Turns on a Dime (reprise)
a reminder of life's changeability
sung by FDR,
played by Bill Gross

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Can you see
your own reflection in me,
the frailty and the sublime?
Can you offer hope
and opportunity?
Brother, sister, neighbor
- citizens all -
can you spare a dime?"

-Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?
an iconic anthem from the 1930s
sung by the entire cast

words by Y. Harburg, music by J. Gorney
additional lyrics by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Change is in the making,
I feel it in the air...
I sense it everywhere.
It elates me, sates me.
I'm sure you will agree
change is not a part from me;
change is at the heart of me.
Change in the making
is what's happening to me."

-Change in the Making
a song about love & hope
sung by The Merchant & The Builder,
played by Khrista White &
Victor Rodriguez

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animations by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Being in the woods
I see the forest for the trees.
My conserving nature
is what is conserving me."

-Citizen Conservation
a song about the Civilian Conservation Corps
sung by The Veteran,
played by Lourin Plant

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animations by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Changing places,
the saving grace is
the work that we share,
side by side.
Can't deny
it's quite a ride
to reinvent our civic pride."

-Changing Places
a song about Federal Project
Number One
sung by The Immigrant,
played by Julian Coleman

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animations by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Life is a dimestore,
and we are its wares,
our dreams on a shelf
left where nobody cares.
A dime a dozen,
our story's the same:
nothing to hope for,
and no one to blame."

-Dimestore Lullaby
a song about escape
sung by The Mother,
played by Venissa Santi

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animations by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"I call forth
a new progressive army:
citizens of ev'ry faith and party!
If you've eyes to see
and hearts to understand,
if your burdened conscience
cares for your fellow man,
step up for a better tomorrow!
Step up for a brighter today!

-Step Up for a Better Tomorrow
a song announcing the WPA
sung by FDR,
played by Bill Gross

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animations by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"If you give a man a dole,
you save his body, not his soul.
If you give him work to do,
you save his body and soul, too!"

-Work Is Progress
a song celebrating WPA slogans
sung by FDR &
the Chorus of Liberty

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animations by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Once I fought hand to hand
with honor for my home.
Now I live hand to handout,
struggling on my own.
Though apathy's the enemy,
I battle my despair:
the absence here of Liberty
defended over there."

-Hand to Hand
a song about the patriotism
sung by The Veteran,
played by Lourin Plant

words and music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Freedom's fire burns constantly,
even when it seems obscure.
It's our responsibility
to keep the flame so it endures."

-Suns of Liberty
a song about freedom
sung by the Chorus of Liberty

words and music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Promises made,
promises broken,
America, will you be
the land of hopes,
both sung and spoken,
that we have yet to see?"

-Promised Land
a song about American ideals
sung by The Farmer &
The Immigrant,
played by Phyllis Chapell &
Julian Coleman

words and music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Though chaos swirls 'round us
and tries to confound us
by coaxing us into
a motionless trance,
we've nothing to fear
but the fear that has bound us,
so, bravely, we choose
to continue to dance."

-Life Turns on a Dime
a song about life's changeability
sung by FDR,
played by Bill Gross

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"I finally understood
and changed my views:
there really is no 'us and them,'
no differences, especially when
we're all stuck in
a big Pocket of Blues!"

-Pocket of Blues
a song about economic crisis
sung by The Merchant,
played by Khrista White

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"No livelihood, no dream to plan,
unable to survive –
what happened to my homeland,
where everyone could thrive?"

-Foundation of Hope
a song about unemployment
sung by The Builder,
played by Victor Rodriguez

words & music by K. Niemela
drawing by S. Teare
animation by G. McGarity-Alegrett

"Aside from being pitch perfect in every way, these performers really connected with their characters. I had goose bumps during every single song..."

"The songwriting was excellent...each tune had a memorable melody, thoughtful lyrics, and real emotional integrity"

Read the full article from Rock on Philly here.

"An impressive collaboration between a diverse array of artists and community members..."

"...the ideal of what education should be."

Read the full article from Hidden City here.

"The work has this blend of despondency and ambition that touches the soul."

"...a lesson that...sparing a dime and sharing one’s time serve the same function – the fostering of hope."

Read the full article from the South Philly Review here.

The paradigm
of Spare A Dime
finds parallels of place and time,
the mystery
of history
repeating, and we hope you'll see
true Liberty
finds unity
of purpose in community.
Rise or fall, we'll always be
together, indivisibly.

A big shout out and our deepest gratitude to the fantastic cast, musicians, and crew of Spare A Dime, and to all of the project's community participants.  You define the very essence of the power of art to transform lives.  Thank you.

There's one last chance to see the show -- Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $10 and are available at the door of the Bok Tech Theater, 8th and Mifflin Streets in South Philadelphia.  Proceeds support COSACOSA youth programs citywide.  Please join us!

Above (from left to right), Spare A Dimers Bruce Fero (Chorus of Liberty), Sherria Watts (Chorus of Liberty), Lourin Plant (The Veteran), Phyllis Chappel (The Farmer), Venissa Santi (The Mother), Julian Coleman (The Immigrant), Khrista White (The Merchant), Brielle Leary (Chorus of Liberty), Victor Rodriguez (The Builder), and Bill Gross (FDR) sing the grand finale to the show at our Friday evening performance.

Song, story, and new media design came together seamlessly in our first performance.

Spare A Dime's cast works it at the final number of our final dress rehearsal!  Please join us!
If you don't already have your tickets, it's not too late!  Just $10 gets you great entertainment, and supports COSACOSA's youth programs citywide!

Tickets online: www.pifa.org/events/10
Tickets by phone:  215-893-1999
Tickets at the door, starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday this week: Bok Tech Theater, 8th and Mifflin Streets in South Philadelphia
For more information, please call COSACOSA at 215.385.2554
We look forward to singing for you!