The Paterson Pageant
A Jack Reed Production
(Have a backdrop depicting a red-brick factory with silk mills. This represents the Paterson Machinery Exchange.)
SCENE 1
NARRATOR 1: Every day, workers that run the silk mills of the Patterson Machinery Exchange come into work early.
(As narrator says this, workers come in a row like zombies and take a seat.)
NARRATOR 1: Like machines, they wait for the signal to start the long work day,
(Factory sound is played. Work bell rings; workers begin their work)
NARRATOR 1: filled with hours and hours of hard work and labor.
(La Marseillaises is played; workers pretend to sing the song that is in French)
NARRATOR 1: A revolution will eventually begin to bubble from the angry and tired hearts of these workers.
(continue singing until song ends)
SCENE 2
(Strikers get in position and start peaceful protesting. Valentino Modestino and child stand to the side watching)
NARRATOR 2: They started a peaceful revolt, full of picketing and boycott.
(Police and detectives come in; police start beating them and pushing them around)
NARRATOR 2: The police had provoked the strikers with violence, and violence ensued on both sides.
(Strikers fight back; guns are firing)
NARRATOR 2: Things continued until everything went out of control.
(Detective shoots Valentino down; child cries; fighting becomes quieter; fighters continue fighting as everything is in slow motion)
NARRATOR 2: Valentino, an innocent bystander, was shot dead right in front of his child.
(Ave Maria plays)
SCENE 3
NARRATOR 1: Alas, the death of the father had taken its toll on everyone. Men and women strikers that were involved attended Valentino’s funeral.
(Strikers line up and begin to approach the coffin and place the red carnation on top of the coffin)
NARRATOR 1: After the terrible event, the strikers attended his funeral and offered red carnations, a symbol that represented the blood of the workers, coating the coffin in red.
(strikers stand quiet as a moment of silence until audio ends)
SCENE 4
(Strikers pretend to discuss stuff at the meeting. Some strikers will pretend to be the spokesperson at certain points. Continue looking like you are discussing and singing to the music until union songs are finished.)
NARRATOR 2: Mass meetings were held where many IWW organizers spoke and many of the songs were sung by the 20,000 strikers that attended.
SCENE 5
(Bands play music; EVERYONE ACT ALL HAPPY AND EXCITED BY DANCING AROUND AND HAVING FLAGS FLYING; WEAR RED; JUST DANCE; DO THE TURKEY TROT IF YOU KNOW IT; YOU CAN EVEN GRAB PEOPLE FROM THE AUDIENCE AND MAKE THEM JOIN!!)
NARRATOR 1: The workers of Paterson celebrate the international revolutionary labor day. Bands playing, flags flying, and people dressed in red.
(some of the people make way for and listen to Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and William Haywood as they pretend talk to them all about their movement)
NARRATOR 1: Prominent figures like Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and William Haywood speak to the strikers and children about the issues that laborers face and the beginning of change and a strong revolution.
(When William finishes speaking, everyone move into a circle or meeting space.)
SCENE 6
(Everyone pretends to be talking and coming to agreement about things; looks happy)
NARRATOR 2: It seemed like success was near as the people legislated for themselves and passed a law for an eight hour day.
(Everyone begins to look acting sad…but determined to continue fighting)
NARRATOR 2: However, no court could declare the law officially, so it remained unconstitutional. Workers today still advocate for their rights as human beings, continuing a fight that is still holding strong today.
*Note: The script, for the roleplay, was supposed to be an exact/really close adaption from and reenactment of the actual pageant (so pageant to play form). The gist and general course of events were determined by this version of the pageant.
