The Story:
"The Joe Hill Revival" brings the story of executed IWW songwriter and union activist Joe Hill into our 21st century through its contemporary musical language and a participatory tavern environment.
Songwriter and activist Joe Hill often rewrote the words of church hymns and popular tunes of his time, converting them into songs of protest and activism. Extending that approach, this show often resets Hill's lyrics using the musical language of our time. But although the show's music is an amalgam of hiphop, bluegrass, folk, blues and country, it is held together by the voice of Hill and the ideas he and the IWW represented. Although Joe Hill was a Swedish immigrant, in this revival he is played by an African-American actor. The show is narrated by Hill's contemporary, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, a firebrand activist, a leader of the IWW at the time of Hill's arrest, and the inspiration for Hill's song, "The Rebel Girl."
But "The Joe Hill Revival" is not just a political or historical tale. It is also a love story.
The story begins as Hill arrives in Salt Lake City and steals his best friend's girlfriend. This non-political event starts the whole cascade leading to Hill's execution. Hill was originally arrested because he was shot the same night as a grocer in Salt Lake City was murdered by two men. Reports were that one of the assailants had been shot in their escape. Amid lurid stories in the press of radical IWW mobs threatening society, Hill was railroaded to his death in November of 1915, even though a motive was never established and all the evidence was at best circumstantial. Although Hill claimed he was shot by a friend in a dispute over a woman, up to his dying day, he refused to identify who shot him and never took the stand in his defense.
Because of this, Hill's case itself has long been a bit of a puzzle. The unidentified woman of Hill's story is now known to be Hilda Erickson, a member of the family with whom Hill and his friend stayed when they arrived in Utah. As recently as 2011, new evidence in the form of an unsent letter was uncovered by author William Adler ("The Man Who Never Died") that backs up Hill's innocence. Although she never testified in court, Hilda Erickson visited Hill in prison every Sunday from his violent capture (he was shot by police while he lay in bed) to his final week in November of 1915.
Central to the historical part of the story is the bold activism of the IWW, the International Workers of the World, of which Joe Hill was a member. The IWW was formed in the early years of the 20th century and their radical approach to unionism was welcomed by many workers. They did not recognize all the divisions within industries and attempted to organize all workers into "One Big Union." They rejected the exclusion of Blacks, Chinese and other nationalities from labor unions and sought to organize women workers as equals. They refused to sign contracts with employers, preferring verbal agreements that preserved their right to strike, and allowed unemployed workers to join. This was especially important in the American West of the early 1900s, where Eastern corporations operated huge labor intensive mining and logging industries with no obligations to the health, safety or quality of life of their workforce.
The Joe Hill "Revival" brings these struggles back to life and points to connections with today's struggles--from the protests against the police murder of George Floyd to the battles by Amazon workers and others to assert their rights against the interests of the rich. The Joe Hill Revival follows Hill as he endured 22 months on death row--eventually coming to the conclusion that he was worth more to the cause of the IWW dead than alive, despite protests to the contrary of those around him. The show's conclusion celebrates finding light in the fight to change the world.
Thoughts from Jerome Harmann Hardeman (director),
Joe Hill. Emigre to the USA. Who was he? A guy who seeks a better life? A Miner.? An Itinerate worker? A Union organizer? A Song writer? A Soldier? A guy in a love triangle? A murderer? A defendant? A martyr?
We are at the beginning of telling an intriguing story. That of Joel Emmanuel Hägglund, his journey and his unexpected end. A kid who loved music and learns the violin. Whose father dies when he's very young. The family struggles. His mother dies. The kids sell the house and split up. Joe and his brother Paul head to America. Also known as Joseph Hillström he changes his name to Joe Hill after arriving in the USA. He goes though Ellis Island. After a short time in New York City he heads west, first to Cleveland then farther west to California, all the while looking for work and opportunity. In his travels he morphs from a guy who "wanted a better life", to a critic of the inhumanity of unfettered capitalism.
Through his lyrics, songs, poems and essays he becomes a major voice of the IWW (the Industrial Workers of The World).
Joe voices the feelings and thoughts of workers, common laborers, the underemployed, the unemployed, the un and under-educated, the tens of thousands of tramps and hobos all left behind by America's gilded age. The new worlds take no prisoner version of capitalism.
The final stop is Salt lake City, Utah and the last years of Joe Hill's life, the circumstances surrounding his conviction and execution by the State of Utah..
A lot to think about.
Other important names are Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Hilda Erickson, Otto Appelquist, Wobbly's, Hobo's, Utah Governor Spry and Guggenheim.
Dan has written a book, lyrics and music through which we dive into the story. The music is integral to telling this story. Dan's score is inventive, humorous and touching. The libretto includes lyrics from Dan and Joe Hill he incorporates lot's of Joe's original poetry, lyrics and prose. All inventively woven into this story.
Joe Hill, like so many American stories is as unlikely as it is heroic. A person of humble beginnings who becomes a voice of the people.
That's the story we've begun to tell...
"The Joe Hill Revival" brings the story of executed IWW songwriter and union activist Joe Hill into our 21st century through its contemporary musical language and a participatory tavern environment.
Songwriter and activist Joe Hill often rewrote the words of church hymns and popular tunes of his time, converting them into songs of protest and activism. Extending that approach, this show often resets Hill's lyrics using the musical language of our time. But although the show's music is an amalgam of hiphop, bluegrass, folk, blues and country, it is held together by the voice of Hill and the ideas he and the IWW represented. Although Joe Hill was a Swedish immigrant, in this revival he is played by an African-American actor. The show is narrated by Hill's contemporary, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, a firebrand activist, a leader of the IWW at the time of Hill's arrest, and the inspiration for Hill's song, "The Rebel Girl."
But "The Joe Hill Revival" is not just a political or historical tale. It is also a love story.
The story begins as Hill arrives in Salt Lake City and steals his best friend's girlfriend. This non-political event starts the whole cascade leading to Hill's execution. Hill was originally arrested because he was shot the same night as a grocer in Salt Lake City was murdered by two men. Reports were that one of the assailants had been shot in their escape. Amid lurid stories in the press of radical IWW mobs threatening society, Hill was railroaded to his death in November of 1915, even though a motive was never established and all the evidence was at best circumstantial. Although Hill claimed he was shot by a friend in a dispute over a woman, up to his dying day, he refused to identify who shot him and never took the stand in his defense.
Because of this, Hill's case itself has long been a bit of a puzzle. The unidentified woman of Hill's story is now known to be Hilda Erickson, a member of the family with whom Hill and his friend stayed when they arrived in Utah. As recently as 2011, new evidence in the form of an unsent letter was uncovered by author William Adler ("The Man Who Never Died") that backs up Hill's innocence. Although she never testified in court, Hilda Erickson visited Hill in prison every Sunday from his violent capture (he was shot by police while he lay in bed) to his final week in November of 1915.
Central to the historical part of the story is the bold activism of the IWW, the International Workers of the World, of which Joe Hill was a member. The IWW was formed in the early years of the 20th century and their radical approach to unionism was welcomed by many workers. They did not recognize all the divisions within industries and attempted to organize all workers into "One Big Union." They rejected the exclusion of Blacks, Chinese and other nationalities from labor unions and sought to organize women workers as equals. They refused to sign contracts with employers, preferring verbal agreements that preserved their right to strike, and allowed unemployed workers to join. This was especially important in the American West of the early 1900s, where Eastern corporations operated huge labor intensive mining and logging industries with no obligations to the health, safety or quality of life of their workforce.
The Joe Hill "Revival" brings these struggles back to life and points to connections with today's struggles--from the protests against the police murder of George Floyd to the battles by Amazon workers and others to assert their rights against the interests of the rich. The Joe Hill Revival follows Hill as he endured 22 months on death row--eventually coming to the conclusion that he was worth more to the cause of the IWW dead than alive, despite protests to the contrary of those around him. The show's conclusion celebrates finding light in the fight to change the world.
Thoughts from Jerome Harmann Hardeman (director),
Joe Hill. Emigre to the USA. Who was he? A guy who seeks a better life? A Miner.? An Itinerate worker? A Union organizer? A Song writer? A Soldier? A guy in a love triangle? A murderer? A defendant? A martyr?
We are at the beginning of telling an intriguing story. That of Joel Emmanuel Hägglund, his journey and his unexpected end. A kid who loved music and learns the violin. Whose father dies when he's very young. The family struggles. His mother dies. The kids sell the house and split up. Joe and his brother Paul head to America. Also known as Joseph Hillström he changes his name to Joe Hill after arriving in the USA. He goes though Ellis Island. After a short time in New York City he heads west, first to Cleveland then farther west to California, all the while looking for work and opportunity. In his travels he morphs from a guy who "wanted a better life", to a critic of the inhumanity of unfettered capitalism.
Through his lyrics, songs, poems and essays he becomes a major voice of the IWW (the Industrial Workers of The World).
Joe voices the feelings and thoughts of workers, common laborers, the underemployed, the unemployed, the un and under-educated, the tens of thousands of tramps and hobos all left behind by America's gilded age. The new worlds take no prisoner version of capitalism.
The final stop is Salt lake City, Utah and the last years of Joe Hill's life, the circumstances surrounding his conviction and execution by the State of Utah..
A lot to think about.
Other important names are Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Hilda Erickson, Otto Appelquist, Wobbly's, Hobo's, Utah Governor Spry and Guggenheim.
Dan has written a book, lyrics and music through which we dive into the story. The music is integral to telling this story. Dan's score is inventive, humorous and touching. The libretto includes lyrics from Dan and Joe Hill he incorporates lot's of Joe's original poetry, lyrics and prose. All inventively woven into this story.
Joe Hill, like so many American stories is as unlikely as it is heroic. A person of humble beginnings who becomes a voice of the people.
That's the story we've begun to tell...