Angela Grout talks with Ken Harris, star of the one man play, “Foes of a Minimum Wage Guard,” following a performance at the Agawam Senior Center in Agawam in August. Grout is producing the play Harris wrote based on his years as a security guard in Springfield area malls.
Reminder Publishing photo by Mike Lydick
When the Eastfield Mall in Springfield closed during the summer of 2023, Ken Harris found himself unemployed — and began reflecting on his professional experiences working at several area malls as a security officer, loss prevention retail guard and special police officer.
“What I found common among these environments is the presence of elderly mall walkers or shoppers. My mere presence in a uniform sparked recollection of their own past experiences working or visiting the mall and this prompted conversations of a past long gone,” he said.
Harris said many of these stories about employee and employer relations, along with the problems of internal and external shoplifting, sounded interesting. “As an experienced stage actor and screenwriter, I thought these were some interesting stories that were still relevant today,” he added.
Hearing these stories over the years never left his mind. Often, he would stitch together certain ones to create his own story lines. After the Eastfield Mall closure, Harris said “a fire was lit.” He began the process of writing a one man play, “Foes of a Minimum Wage Guard,” since the characters were so “flushed out” to him.
“I felt I was the one to do this because I knew the characters so intimately. It took me about a week writing longhand on a notepad to write the first draft,” Harris said. He also credits actor Chazz Palminteri for inspiring him after Harris saw the 1993 movie “Bronx Tale.”
“I was inspired by his rise in the entertainment industry with his story that originated as a one man play before actor Robert DeNiro got involved and helped him make it into a feature film,” he added.
The 48-year-old Springfield native performs all 16 characters in the 60-minute stage play. The show is about the foes of a 68-year-old worker who has to deal with an arrogant, cheap boss who puts Harris (as main character Steve Smelly) in charge of loss prevention. Chaos and deep personal controversy occur for Smelly and the audience as they learn about retail theft and its impact on employees of a department store
It took Harris a year of rewrites to polish the play. It debuted locally in the summer of 2024 at the Knights of Columbus in Chicopee, Now, “Foes” is headed to New York City on Nov. 8.
Harris will perform “Foes” at the United Solo Theatre Festival, the world’s largest solo theater festival. It annually showcases exceptional solo plays from across the country and around the world. “I’m thrilled to be part of this festival with a unique story with retail as a backdrop,” said Harris.
West Springfield resident Angela Grout, host and producer of the yWrite podcast, is the play’s producer. Grout, who has produced several local plays, met Harris about two years ago and learned about the play. “When Ken told me about ‘Foes,’ I was anxious to see him perform multiple characters in this story of a working retail guard,” Grout said.
After seeing “Foes,” Grout knew more audiences needed to see it. “The story line of retail theft and exactly what a security guard is permitted to do was eye opening, and Ken’s delivery of the story was entertaining to say the least.”
Grout said it has been great working with Harris on the play. “We brought on director Michael Buster McMahon, a playwright and former standup comedian. With Buster’s help, we created more humorous scenes and got the show to 60 minutes — which is perfect for the venues we are marketing to.”
Harris added that his character’s journey in this story of “utter retail chaos” explores how one responds to unpleasant changes. “Should we respond favorably or unethically? Change can come at any time, but it’s never too late to do the right thing.”
As a former business owner, Grout said she understands the struggle the main character must face dealing with internal and external loss prevention. “I felt the story had great value to not only create awareness of how retail theft can be prevented, but I also saw a great opportunity to produce it and market it to audiences within the aging communities,” she said.
The most challenging aspect of the play for Harris is sizing up the audience and having the energy channeled through the characters to keep them invested in the storyline.
“My goal is to finish the show in 60 minutes; but often it may go an additional five or eight minutes, depending on the audience’s response to gags and silly moments.”
While it’s exhausting for Harris to switch between the different characters, he said there are several keys to a successful show: drinking bottled water during the performance, keeping his energy up and having loads of fun with the characters that will be transmitted to those watching.
“Foes” has been performed around the area during the past year and a half to prepare for its New York debut. Harris has performed this show in Chicopee, Northampton, Agawam, Holyoke and Hartford. Grout said the goal is to perform it at least once in every New England state during the next year.
Harris said he’s not ruled out doing this show with other actors, but said he would like to see it become successful on the national stage before moving in that direction.
“I know the characters so well. I feel I’m well-suited to introduce this story with them on the stage. My passion for this story and the elements in it is a spark of energy to keep it moving with the overall production,” said Harris.
The show will be in Theater Row, an off-Broadway theater located at 410 W42nd St. at 2 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at unitedsolo.org/the-19th-annual-united-solo-theatre-festival/foes-of-a-minimum-wage-guard.
Harris previously spoke about this show with Reminder Publishing’s podcast, So That Reminds Me.
