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RADICAL RESPONSES TO THE GREAT
DEPRESSION The WPA Federal Theatre Project |
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The Living Newspaper. In one of its most controversial moves, the Works
Progress Administration decided to provide jobs for unemployed
writers, actors, artists, and musicians. The social content of the
books, plays, and murals produced by federal projects was anathema to
conservatives, but the level of achievement appears very high as the
decades have passed. At its peak the Federal Theatre employed 10,000
people, over half of them in New York City. Twelve million people
attended its performances there. Under the Project, many theatre
companies sprang up throughout the country as well. Many of the
Federal Writers’ state and local guides have been reprinted in
recent years. |