Music and motorcars. That shorthand for Detroit centers its glorious past at the nexus of Motown's sophisticated, polished soul and the world's auto capital. But even as the city has become a metaphor for America's industrial decline, artists are examining its past to reflect on its phoenix-rising present.

For celebrated playwright Dominique Morisseau, her hometown is a place of grit, toughness and love. Morisseau chronicles Detroit's social and political journey from 1949 to 2008 in a trilogy of plays: "Paradise Blue," "Detroit '67″ and "Skeleton Crew," the last of which is in previews now and opens Friday at the Guthrie Theater.

"Crew" is set during the 2008 recession and orbits four friends — Faye, Dez, Shanita and Reggie — who grapple with the idea of losing their livelihoods as the plant faces foreclosure.

"It's told through African American characters, but it's a very American story that everyone can relate to," said director Austene Van. "It connects to all of us because everyone fears losing a job or a house or a car. But we see it through a lens that gives us an opportunity for a beautiful musicality."

The Star Tribune spoke with Van and her cast before a rehearsal last week. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: How do you relate to your characters' struggles?

Stephanie Everett: Well, I didn't think at first that I had a lot in common with Shanita. But as we've gone through the process of putting up the play, I think I really relate to pride in her work. She has technique and is devoted to everything her hands can do. So, when all else fails, she can fall back on is the fact that she has something that no one can take away from her. I relate to her pride in her skill set and the way it brings her confidence.

Mikell Sapp: I have family in Detroit and I'm doing this role in honor of their spirit. Every time I've gone to Detroit, I've felt their grit and determination. Dez is a hustler. He has goals and dreams and he works hard to make them real.

Darius Dotch: Reggie talks about walking the line because he's in a position of a supervisor having to balance between the higher-ups and the workers on the shop floor. He knows the restrictions and limitations all around and is trying to save his job. So, he's in a tight spot trying to make sure his family is in a good landing space.

Jennifer Fouché: Well, I'm actually from Detroit so this play means quite a lot to me. Most Detroiters are incredibly protective of our city, and we feel some kind of way of if anybody has something negative to say. I know the pulse of the place. As a kid, I had friends whose parents worked in the factories, and they made good money. So, I come at it [the role of Faye] from the inside with that pride.

Q: What do you think the play says about work and workers?

Fouché: Well, there's a history of devaluing and dehumanizing the American worker. Here we have this core group of people who're literally keeping this plant open. They are loyal to an institution that is not loyal to them. And these are the people generating the company's wealth, but they could potentially be destitute. Is this 2008 or 1908 or whenever? Is it today?

Q: It's a grim story. Where's the hope and light?

Van: The breakroom where they meet is full of life and color and love. The play has wonderful moments of buoyancy. Dominique could have written that they're all crabs in the barrel trying to tear each other down as everybody is in survival mode. But that's not how it ends.

Fouché: They're all connected like people who're in the same lifeboat. Each of them is going through their own individual hell, really, and clinging to one another even if they don't say it out loud.

Q: And the takeaway?

Sapp: Look, there's no way around it. People in the show, like in life, face a lot of adversity and they're doing the best with everything they've got. But what's beautiful to see is in the intestinal fortitude they have. And the show is not one-note. There's a lot of musicality, of colors, so that with every scene, something shifts and something beautiful is revealed.

Dotch: It's about resiliency, right? This crew reflects a community where everyone is incredibly good at bouncing back. Most people, given the same circumstances, would not be able to keep it all together. But this crew, the last survivors in the plant, will find a way even if it closes.

'Skeleton Crew'

Who: Written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Austene Van.

When: 7:30 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 7 p.m. Sun. Ends June 9.

Where: Guthrie Theater, 818 S. 2nd St., Mpls.

Tickets: $29-$82. 612-377-2224, guthrietheater.org.