A new play opening this week at the Missouri History Museum brings a pivotal moment in St. Louis’s labor history to light. 1877 tells the story of the St. Louis General Strike of 1877. Bread and Roses Missouri, the St. Louis-based arts nonprofit focused on workers, is producing the play by Colin McLaughlin.
“The event comes to life right in front of you, live in the space with that group of people there,” says Emily Kohring, Bread and Roses Missouri executive director. “There’s really nothing more exciting than that.” Kohring says she learned a lot about the strike herself from reading the play.
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In a secret meeting in East St. Louis in July 1877, train workers met and agreed to strike if their demands for increased wages weren’t met. The strike spread quickly across the river to St. Louis, which was at the time a major manufacturing hub for the country.
It was part of a wave of railroad strikes spreading across the country at the time. The St. Louis strike didn’t achieve its stated goals, but it did shut the city down, showing the capabilities of united workers. It was also notable for the inclusion of Black workers, though this wasn’t without controversy for labor brass.
1877 centers on a young brother and sister, working to support themselves because they’ve been separated from their parents. Older brother Jonah, a longshoreman, doesn’t want to join the strike because he doesn’t want to imperil the good living he’s making. His sister Eleanor, 12, is sneaking her way into working as a paperboy. Four more actors round out the cast, playing dozens of characters.
One of Eleanor’s customers, who is helping her learn reading and math, talks Jonah into joining. Reluctant striker Jonah ends up giving an impassioned speech, returning to work, and losing his job anyway. (Kohring won’t spoil the ending, but she says it wraps on a hopeful note.)
“It makes it so much more accessible,” Kohring says. “Anyone can watch the play and come out with a general understanding of what the General Strike of 1877 was about.” The play also examines the strike-busting origins of the city’s Veiled Prophet organization.
The play includes an additional art form that, Kohring says, is another great point of entry for audiences.
“It has music, and the music is really wonderful,” she says. “[Playwright] Colin [McLaughlin] chose very specific songs from the era, work songs and labor songs and protest songs.”
The company has a matinee performance planned for middle- and high-school audiences, which Kohring is particularly excited about. It’s a family-friendly production for middle-school age and up, she says.
“The labor movement has been a long struggle. We want to make sure we’re making the connections between what happened in the past and what’s happening now,” Kohring says. She points out that in recent years, labor movements are in the news almost constantly, from the Hollywood strike to efforts toward unionizing corporate giants such as Amazon and Starbucks. “It’s an exciting time to make the parallels,” she says.
The play opens Thursday, November 16 with a free preview performance at 6:30 p.m. It runs again on Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. with a panel discussion featuring the playwright, journalist and historian Devin Thomas O’Shea; labor organizer Shannon Duffy; and Missouri History Museum curator of urban landscape and community identity Gwen Moore. Tickets are $10 in advance and $13 at the door.
