The Federal Theater Project

Establishment and Background

• Initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 27, 1935.
• Part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression.
• Aimed to address high unemployment and economic collapse after the 1929 stock market crash.
• WPA was a key element of Roosevelt's New Deal focusing on:
  • Relief: Providing food and shelter.
  • Recovery: Creating government-funded jobs.
  • Reform: Preventing future economic crises.

WPA Contributions

• Created jobs in construction, building bridges, roads, public buildings, etc.
• Notable WPA projects in Los Angeles include:
  • Hollywood Post Office
  • Federal courthouse
  • Terminal Annex building
  • Hollywood Bowl entryway
  • L.A. Zoo's old animal enclosures
  • Bridges over the Los Angeles River

Theater and Cultural Impact

• Harry Hopkins, head of the WPA, emphasized including theater artists in the program.
• Many theater professionals lost jobs due to the transition from silent films to sound films.
• Aimed to provide jobs and relevant theater to the general U.S. population.

Leadership and Innovations

• Led by Hallie Flanagan, a young professor from Vassar, focused on progressive and experimental theater.
• Inspired by modern European theater, she sought to introduce these ideas to the U.S.

Key Productions and Successes

• Macbeth ('Voodoo Macbeth') by the Negro Theater Unit, directed by Orson Welles.
  • Set in Haiti, it was a major success.
  • Moved from Harlem to Broadway and went on a U.S. tour.
• Federal Theater Project's "Negro Theater Project" thrived, creating jobs and vital theater for African Americans.

Political and Social Influence

• The Federal Theater Project was progressive, supporting New Deal programs.
• Addressed issues of inequality, economic disparity, and labor movement.
• Faced political opposition but maintained support from Harry Hopkins.
• It Can't Happen Here, a stage adaptation of Sinclair Lewis's novel, opened in 21 theaters across 18 states.
  • Performed in multiple languages and brought theater to new audiences.

Decline and Legacy

• The project faced criticism from anti-New Deal forces.
• The 1939 Congress terminated funding, ending the project.
• Influenced the growth of local non-profit theaters after WWII.
• Nurtured future theater luminaries like Orson Welles, Arthur Miller, and others.

Conclusion

• Federal Theater Project demonstrated the American public's hunger for pertinent theater.
• Sources for information include the Library of Congress, Wikipedia, and various documentaries.