In 1912, the labor hymn “Bread and Roses” was sung by striking textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The song advocates for workers to receive “Bread”—the wages working people need to support their families, and “Roses”—the beautiful things that make life worth living, such as art, music, and nature. Over 100 years later, St. Louis-based arts organization Bread & Roses Missouri amplifies and elevates the voices of working people through art, performance and activism. Executive Director Emily Kohring will talk about how participation in creative experiences can be healing and transformative for working people and their families, and how they use theatre to highlight the stories of the working class and the Labor Movement that are too often left out of our cultural narrative. She’ll discuss the intersection of the arts and advocacy, and how justice-focused arts organizations like Bread & Roses are navigating these challenging times.
Emily Kohring is a theatre director, educator and producer with more than two decades of experience in arts and culture leadership positions at organizations that include Metro Theater Company, Artscope and now Bread & Roses Missouri, where swhere she is executive director and produces its Workers’ Theater Project. She also served her beloved home state of Montana as director of arts education at the Montana Arts Council. As a theatre producer, director and dramaturg for new works, her work has been seen at Metro Theater Company, where she was Education Director and Artistic Associate for nine seasons, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s Bonderman New Play Symposium, NYU’s New Plays for Young Audiences, First Stage Milwaukee, Stage One Louisville, and Trike Theatre in Bentonville, AR. She is a proud alum of the Regional Arts Commission's Community Arts Training Institute. She is a practitioner of Theatre of the Oppressed and holds an MFA in Theatre for Youth from Arizona State University.
This Platform will feature music from Claire Alexander (she/her), a musician, educator, and administrator who now serves as the executive director of community experience at the Ethical Society of St. Louis. Raised in a deeply musical family, Claire grew up harmonizing around the house and performing from a young age. She spent over a decade teaching music in public schools, and she has now transitioned full-time into nonprofit leadership. These days, her to-do list may be full of spreadsheets and strategy—but music remains one of Claire’s deepest sources of joy and connection. She is grateful to return to the stage today, sharing songs that continue to shape and connect us. You can join her in making music by joining one of the Ethical Society’s ensembles—learn more at ethicalstl.org/music.
Stream on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ethicalstl
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