HIS 356K Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Federal Theatre Project, Hallie Flanagan, Experimental Theatre
Document Summary
Difficulty of cultural democracy ideal: goal: accessibility, integration of artist within community, creation of a new national art. Reality: artists on relief, bureaucracy, competing political visions. Formidable task of bringing art to the millions. Federal theater project 1935 - 1942: one of federal one art projects, hundred of production,s. over 42,000 performances to 20+ million people. Funding terminated june 30 1939 almost all for free: only instance of government funded theater, works probing nation"s history, diversity and problems but also pageants, Produced world of virtually every notable american playwright dance dramas, musicals: hallie flanagan. Guggenheim fellowship in 1925 allowed her to study theater throughout. Really into russian blue blouses took actors who were not well trained who then did living newspaper thing and turn news into drama: goal was a truly creative theater in us. Classics and new variety of forms: drama, vaudeville, marionettes, musical dance, children"s.
