Rehearsing revolutions

"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"--