Staging the People Community and Identity in the Federal Theatre Project

by Osborne, Elizabeth A.

• ISBN13: 9780230113312
• ISBN10: 0230113311
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-05-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

The Federal Theatre Project stands alone as the only national theatre in the history of the United States. This study re-imagines this vital moment in American history, considering the Federal Theatre Project on its own terms – as a “federation of theatres” designed to stimulate new audiences and create locally-relevant theatre during the turbulent 1930s. It integrates a wealth of previously undiscovered archival materials with cultural history, delving into regional activities in Chicago, Boston, Portland, Atlanta, and Birmingham, as well as tours of refugee camps and Civilian Conservation Corps Divisions. For a brief, exhilarating moment, the Federal Theatre Project created a democratic theatre that staged the American people.

Author Biography

Elizabeth A. Osborne is an Assistant Professor of Theatre Studies at Florida State University. Her work has been published in Theatre History Studies, Theatre Symposium, and The Journal of American Theatre and Drama.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
List of Abbreviations	p. xv
Inroduction: The ôPeople's Theatreö: Creating an Audience of Millions	p. 1
Danger, Disease, and Despotism: Balancing on the Tightrope of Chicago	p. 15
Demythologizing America: Past and Present Collide in Boston	p. 49
ôThe Great American Theatrical Desertö: Federal Theatre in the South	p. 85
The Fading Frontier: Excavating the Portland Federal Theatre Project	p. 121
Theatre ôIn the Wildernessö: The Federal Theatre Project Tours America	p. 151
Epilogue: An American Audience for the ôPeople's Theatreö	p. 181
Notes	p. 189
Bibliography	p. 219
Index	p. 231
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