The Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939: Engagement and Experimentation

The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was a transatlantic phenomenon that explored the explosive phenomenon of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP) from a transatlantic perspective. It offers the first comparative study of the history, performances, and politics of the FTP in a book form, contributing significantly to the study of Hallie Flanagan as the bridge between the FTP and the European avant-garde. It draws and exposes further links between American modernism and its European counterparts, concentrating on close reading of unpublished plays, actual performance events, and archival material collected by the writer. It offers both a historical survey and theoretical analysis based on performance theories and is engaging and informative.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 18 August 2022
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was a significant cultural phenomenon that occurred in the United States during the 1930s. It was a government-funded program that aimed to provide employment and artistic opportunities to artists and performers during the Great Depression. The FTP was led by Hallie Flanagan, who was a prominent figure in the American theater scene and had a strong interest in the European avant-garde. This book offers the first comparative study of the history, performances, and politics of the FTP in a book form. It contributes significantly to the study of Hallie Flanagan as the bridge between the FTP and the European avant-garde, and it will also contribute to the study of Flanagans own plays. The book draws and exposes further links between American modernism and its European counterparts, such as Meyerhold, Brecht, and the European avant-garde. It concentrates predominantly on the New York division and its following units: the Living Newspaper, the Negro unit, the Childrens unit, and the Dance unit. Exploring a range of performances, it suggests that the FTP is responsible for an array of theatrical and dramatic experimentations but that it is also indebted to and carries on from the tradition of the European avant-garde and the contemporary modernist theatrical explorations. The book offers both a historical survey and theoretical analysis based on performance theories. It is engaging and informative, and it presents a comparative study of the history, performances, and politics of the FTP by drawing and exposing further links between American modernism and its European counterparts.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474445498