DC LaborFest This Weekend: Pete Seeger Tribute, Brother Hal & Sweet Joan of the Textile Mills
Friday, May 2, 2014(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Happy
Birthday Pete Seeger (Sat, May
3): Joe Uehlein (photo) performs
his Birthday Tribute to Pete
Seeger tonight starting
at 7:30p at Zed’s in Silver Spring.
Kids
at Work (Sat/Sun, May
3-4): Brother
Hal and Sweet Joan of the
Textile Mills, two
labor-themed
plays
performed by young actors debut today and
tomorrow, at the Round House
Theatre in Silver Spring. Brother Hal sets
Shakespeare's Henry V in a Flint auto
plant in the 1930’s, while Sweet Joan of the Textile
Mills adapts Bertolt Brecht
to examine the plight of child labor; both
plays feature young actors from the
Lumina Studio Theatre. Tickets
required; click on the appropriate play for
details.
COMING
UP…
Salt of the Earth
(Monday, May 5,
7:30p): Originally banned by the
U.S. government
and now
recognized by the Smithsonian as among “the
greatest 100 films ever made,” this
classic 1954 film – which tells the story of
Mexican-American workers who
strike to attain wage parity with Anglo workers
and explores the pivotal role
their wives play in the strike -- celebrates
its 60th anniversary 7:30p Monday night at
the American Film Institute in
Silver Spring (tickets
necessary). Introduced
by Tom
Zaniello,
author of “Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds,
and Riffraff: An Organized Guide
to Films About Labor” and includes
DC Labor FilmFest t-shirt
raffle!
The
Fight in the
Fields
(Tuesday, May 6, 6p): Cesar Chavez and the
Farmworkers' Struggle: the first
film to cover the full arc of Cesar Chávez’
life using archival footage,
newsreel, and interviews with Ethel Kennedy,
former California Governor Jerry
Brown, Dolores Huerta, and Chávez’ brother,
sister, son and daughter, among
others; 6p at Busboys & Poets
(5th & K Streets).
Poetry
at Work
(Tuesday, May 6, 8p): Poets tackle the
workplace, from drudgery to dignity and
even beauty. Featured poets include Kenneth
Carroll and Laini Mataka. 8p at Busboys and
Poets. (5th and K).
Art Exhibit: Ralph Fasanella: Lest We Forget: Union organizer Ralph Fasanella celebrated the common man and tackled complex issues of postwar America in colorful, socially-minded paintings. Daily, American Art Museum (8th and F Streets, N.W.) 3rd floor North
Rivera's "Man At The Crossroads": The Mexican Cultural Institute hosts a fascinating exhibit reconstructing the history of Diego Rivera's famous “Man at the Crossroads” mural at Rockefeller Center, tracing its history with reproductions of previously unpublished material, including letters, telegrams, contracts, sketches, and documents, following Rivera's commission, subsequent tension and conflict, and finally, the mural's destruction. Daily through May 17.
Living Out, comedic play by Lisa Loomer about working mothers, race, class and immigration status. Through May 18.
The DC LaborFest is an expansion of the annual DC Labor FilmFest; both are organized by the Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO. CLICK HERE for the complete DC Labor Fest and Labor FilmFest schedule!
* events are free unless otherwise noted