Saint Louis has a rich, mostly unexplored labor history. There is history in the making again today as workers begin to find their voice in the fight for labor rights and civil rights in our city. To honor these efforts, Bread & Roses Missouri is producing the Workers' Opera, a show performed by workers-turned-actors and […]
Nashville’s Shelby Bottom Duo joins Bread & Roses Missouri to tell the story of labor activist and songwriter Joe Hill and the early U.S. labor movement. Joe Hill was executed in 1915…but not before he fanned the flames of labor discontent with his songs. Regarded as anthems of the IWW labor union (the Wobblies), Joe’s […]
The Workers’ Theater group gives voice to the rich history and contemporary struggle for living wages and fair working conditions (bread) along with dignity and artistic expression (roses). The performers are workers-turned-actors—members of the movement itself. They have successfully entertained, educated and activated audiences all across Missouri at venues large and small. Their performances commemorate the […]
In 1920, Eugene Victor Debs ran a campaign for the US presidency- from a federal prison cell. He was imprisoned for his outspoken objection to the violence and chaos of WWI. Debs ended up receiving a million votes, and 100 years later, his revelations on our society, economy, prison system, and the nature of war, […]