The Federal Theatre Project, a 1930s relief project of the Roosevelt administration, brought more theater to more people in every corner of America than at any time in U.S. history. The project had units in every region of the country, including groundbreaking African American troupes, and staged productions ranging from daring dramas like The Voodoo Macbeth, Waiting for Lefty, and Cradle Will Rock to musicals, vaudeville, and puppet shows. It was canceled in a firestorm of controversy that gave birth to the damning question: ""Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?"" This book documents that vibrant, colorful, politically explosive time, which gave rise to bitter debates about the role of government in American art and culture. It includes interviews with such Federal Theatre actors, playwrights, directors, designers, producers, and dancers as Arthur Miller, Studs Terkel, Jules Dassin, Katherine Dunham, Rosetta Lenoire, John Houseman, and many others.

Book Information
ISBN 9780299183240
Author Bonnie Nelson Schwartz
Format Paperback
Page Count 200
Imprint University of Wisconsin Press
Publisher University of Wisconsin Press