The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930’s. It began after the stock market crash of October 1929, which wiped out millions of investors. Consumer spending and investment dropped causing millions of Americans to become unemployed. Because of many unemployed workers, Franklin D. Roosevelt created the New Deal program to fund theatre and other live artistic performances. The federal Theatre Project (FTP) was created not only as a cultural activity, but as a relief measure to employ artists, writers, directors, and theatre workers. The FTP unfortunately failed when it’s funding was canceled after congressional objections to their productions. Many projects the FTP provided led to the downfall of the project. The FTP presented over 1,000 performances each month to nearly one million people. An excerpt from the New Deal Cultural Program (text 3) stated that, “78% of the audience were admitted free of charge.” Admitting people in for free, the FTP was
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There was an attempt to open plays simultaneously across the country in an effort to build recognition for the project. At the same time, authors were encouraged to produce plays on social issues, but the emphasis of social themes helped cause the downfall of the project. “The theatre project’s survival became a political issue when it was scrutinized by the House Committee to investigation Un-American Activities,” as stated by the excerpt from A Brief Overview of the WPA. Despite the reservation of censors, the WPA projects were very popular with audiences and critics. In June, 1939, the House Appropriations Committee which Woodrum chaired successfully, barred future use of WPA funds for theatre activities of any kind, bringing the FTP to an end virtually overnight, just four years after it
There was an attempt to open plays simultaneously across the country in an effort to build recognition for the project. At the same time, authors were encouraged to produce plays on social issues, but the emphasis of social themes helped cause the downfall of the project. “The theatre project’s survival became a political issue when it was scrutinized by the House Committee to investigation Un-American Activities,” as stated by the excerpt from A Brief Overview of the WPA. Despite the reservation of censors, the WPA projects were very popular with audiences and critics. In June, 1939, the House Appropriations Committee which Woodrum chaired successfully, barred future use of WPA funds for theatre activities of any kind, bringing the FTP to an end virtually overnight, just four years after it