Rehearsing Revolutions
eBook - ePub

Rehearsing Revolutions

The Labor Drama Experiment and Radical Activism in the Early Twentieth Century

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Rehearsing Revolutions

The Labor Drama Experiment and Radical Activism in the Early Twentieth Century

About this book

Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2019

George Freedley Memorial Award Finalist, 2020

Between the world wars, several labor colleges sprouted up across the U.S. These schools, funded by unions, sought to provide members with adult education while also indoctrinating them into the cause. As Mary McAvoy reveals, a big part of that learning experience centered on the schools' drama programs. For the first time, Rehearsing Revolutions shows how these left-leaning drama programs prepared American workers for the "on-the-ground" activism emerging across the country. In fact, McAvoy argues, these amateur stages served as training grounds for radical social activism in early twentieth-century America.

Using a wealth of previously unpublished material such as director's reports, course materials, playscripts, and reviews, McAvoy traces the programs' evolution from experimental teaching tool to radically politicized training that inspired overt—even militant—labor activism by the late 1930s. All the while, she keeps an eye on larger trends in public life, connecting interwar labor drama to post-war arts-based activism in response to McCarthyism, the Cold War, and the Civil Rights movement. Ultimately, McAvoy asks: What did labor drama do for the workers' colleges and why did they pursue it? She finds her answer through several different case studies in places like the Portland Labor College and the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Rehearsing Revolutions by Mary McAvoy in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Performing Arts. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Series Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Chapter 1: The Labor Drama Experiment
  9. Chapter 2: Performance from the Ranks: The Advent of Labor Drama at Portland Labor College, 1922–25
  10. Chapter 3: The Variegated Shoots: Hazel MacKaye and the Development of Labor Dramatics at Brookwood Labor College, 1925–26
  11. Chapter 4: Of Untold Possibilities: Hollace Ransdell and the Ladies of Southern Labor Dramatics, 1928–36
  12. Chapter 5: Something Very Different: Southern Labor Drama at Highlander Folk School, 1934–40
  13. Chapter 6: Lee Hays, a Preaching Hillbilly, and the FBI: The Last Gasps of Labor Drama at Commonwealth Labor College, 1932–39
  14. Conclusion: Labor Drama’s Legacies
  15. Notes
  16. Bibliography
  17. Index
  18. Series List