Federal Theatre and Group Theater: Crash Course Theater #42

The 1930s in the United States were pretty bad for employment in all industries, and the theater was no exception. As part of Roosevelt's New Deal, the Works Progress Administration created a division called the Federal Theatre Project. The agency created theater companies across the country to put actors and crew back to work in the theater industry. The shows were free, and thanks to forward thinking administrators, a lot of them were pretty interesting. You'll also learn about the Group Theater today. They're the super-influential troupe, with the totally lame name.

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[DJchilcott]

Theatre is the one of the few times and places when a story ending with: "and then everyone clapped" is believable.

[srwapo]

Gritty 2020

"Eat Your Landlord!"

[anthonywolf]

This episode really resonates with me. This is when my grandparents came to this country and I cant help but to feel the same sentiments now as they did then.

[gcmprints]

I didn't know Gritty was an actor!!! Gritty really CAN do it all!

[BrianHutzellMusic]

Kudos for the Marc Blitzstein allusion at 0:38! Also – I love the quote at 2:24, “Sometimes you gotta do it for the money in order to do it for the art.” Warhol is smiling!

[jennrodriguezdaluz]

omg it's our working class hero gritty XD

[stevenbosch]

In his memoir Studs Terkel recalled being in a Chicago production of “Strike.” When the company spy was revealed members of the audience went after him. “It’s a play, ” he and other members of the cast yelled as they tried to break up the melee.

[stevenbosch]

Adding an addendum to your excellent post -- Clifford Odets also inspired the young Arthur Miller whose plays have weathered time a little better than Odets's works. I have seen "Awake and Sing" on PBS (I think it was the "Theatre in America" series") of which videos are available and while not a perfect production I think I understand what drove the discriminating theatre audience at the time to see it. Also, many of the black actors in the "MacBeth" were veterans of Black Vaudeville. Welles had the talent, and the feroucious ego, to lead his cast in a crash course on performing Shakespeare. John Houseman, who was also in the Federal Theatre, recalled one morning when three gentlemen from Haiti appeared at the theatre with Mr. Welles's calling card which stated that these gentlemen were real life witch doctors. Their practice was a little slow at the moment and they were interested in taking a flier in theatre by playing the three witches. Mr. Houseman agreed, (wouldn't you?) and even requisitioned an authentic drum with goatskin drumhead). The opening night was triumph except for one critic who was dissappointed that black actors were esentially mucking up one of Shakespeare's tragedies. The senior witch doctor asked, "Is this man bad?" Mr. Welles said he was. The gentlemen withdrew for several days. The critic developed a case of pneumonia. Mr. Houseman said, "I didn't ask."

[odd-ysseusdoesstuff]

Man, this Crash Course series is good since I need an intro on theatre arts.

[alekseisandals]

Yesss!!! Been waiting to hear you talk about Antonin Artaud!! Please discuss the theater of cruelty!!

[morganj]

WHEN ARE WE GETTING TO BRECHT IM DYING HERE MIKE!!

[roryokane]

Just when I thought FDR couldn’t have been better, turns out he’s like “let’s keep the theatre going as well as trying to rebuild the country’s economy.”

[LateStudiosandmore]

"you might be shocked to learn that there's a lot of ego in theatre" lol

[unleashingpotential-psycho]

I think it is a great idea to convey how life is through the theater.

[niningsumarni]

Crash course theatre is the only crash course that still have it's d. The speaker is good, he could express the emotion at a right amount

[ChessMasteryOfficial]

*Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent!*

[QUARTERMASTEREMI]

@Crash Course Alright! — _Crash Course Theatre_ *is back baby!*

[myusername]

I’m reading an anthology of plays from this period now. This was really informative thanks! I only wish you’d mentioned Saroyan and Sherwood. Maybe a few others like Hellman. I particularly enjoyed them so far. (I’m going to read Odets next)

[kassemir]

2:56 - Brando totally looks like Shatner due to the art deco colours. Probably mostly the yellow sweater with a black collar.
- Wonder if he's method too though.... hmmm...?
7:22 - wow, that's Gritty :D Made my day. Wonder if he's method too? hmm...

[fandomshuzzah]

Excited for this era of theatre to come around again now that we're doing a new and exciting form of economic recession