Staging strikes

the long version

In clear and moving prose, Colette Hyman traces the history of workers' theatre from its grassroots origins to the Federal Theatre Project of the WPA under Franklin Delano Roosevelt and into unions' recreational programs. Even today, the tradition of workers' theatre endures in local and regional productions that reflect current worker concerns or revive significant workers' plays of the Depression period. Hyman shows that the significance of workers' theatre lies not only in the plays produced but also in the audiences' experience, in coming together out of common concerns to achieve a solidarity that emphasizes the effectiveness of collective action.