Mother
The Life Story of Mary Harris "Mother" Jone
Produced by Colorado TINTS Theatre Company, Mother! The Life of Mother Jones is a look into the life, times, and motivations behind the fiery union organizer and rabble rouser once called the “most dangerous woman in America.”
Award-winning actor Jan Justis stars in the one-woman show that takes the audience through Jones’ life from her birth in Cork, Ireland, her marriage and motherhood, cut short by a yellow fever epidemic in Memphis, Tennessee, through the Chicago fire of 1871, and her reinvention of herself as a union organizer and proponent of worker rights and the abolition of child labor including her participation in the 1886 Haymarket Riot, 1903 March of the Mill Children to Colorado’s 1914 Ludlow Massacre.
The story begins in the basement of the Huerfano County Jail where Jones was incarcerated in 1913 for her participation in the Colorado Coalfield War as an organizer for the United Mine Workers.
The timeline shifts to Jones; early life and follows the progression of her personal losses and eventual advocacy for workers rights.
The story culminates with a meeting with John Rockefeller, Jr. following the Ludlow Massacre which set the stage for reforms in child labor laws, the eight hour work day, and other improvements.
Mother! is written by Mike Broemmel and Jennifer Dempsey. The play is directed by Jennifer Dempsey. Technical direction is provided by Steve Kucera and videography by Tom Hinerman.
