The Federal Theatre Project: When American Theatre Was a Public Service

For four years during the Great Depression, the United States had something it has never had before or since: a national public theatre. The Federal Theatre Project put thousands of theatre workers back to work and brought live performance to audiences who had never seen a play.

What was the Federal Theatre Project?

The Federal Theatre Project ran from 1935 to 1939 as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the New Deal program that employed millions of Americans during the Depression. Its job was to employ out-of-work actors, directors, designers, stagehands, and writers, and to bring theatre to communities across the country.

It was led by Hallie Flanagan, a theatre director and educator from Vassar College, who believed theatre should be affordable, local, and connected to the lives of its audiences.

What did the Federal Theatre Project produce?

• Classics and new plays in cities large and small, often at low prices or for free.
• Children's theatre, puppetry, circuses, and vaudeville.
• Productions in multiple languages for immigrant communities.
• Black theatre units in cities including New York, where the Harlem unit's 1936 Macbeth became legendary.

What was a Living Newspaper?

Living Newspapers were one of the Project's most original inventions: plays built from current events, statistics, and public debates, staged with projections, sound, and large casts. Power (1937), shown in the poster above, dramatized how electricity reached American homes and who paid for it. These productions were designed to help audiences understand the issues of the day.

It Can't Happen Here

In 1936, the Project adapted Sinclair Lewis's novel It Can't Happen Here, about an American slide into authoritarianism, and opened it in many cities at once. Nearly 400,000 Americans saw it. It remains one of the most ambitious coordinated openings in American theatre history.

Why did the Federal Theatre Project end?

The Project drew criticism in Congress, where some members saw its productions as too political. In 1939, Congress ended its funding, making it the first WPA arts program to close.

The legacy of the Federal Theatre Project

Many artists who went on to shape American theatre and film got early work through the Project. Its belief that theatre belongs to the public helped inspire the nonprofit and regional theatre movement, including Broadway's nonprofit theatres. It's also a key chapter in our history of Broadway activism.

Where Broadway for Democracy fits

The Federal Theatre Project treated theatre as a public good that could help citizens understand their country. Broadway for Democracy shares that spirit, using theatre's reach to encourage civic participation. We're nonpartisan and never tell anyone how to vote. Explore the field in our guide to Broadway nonprofits.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Federal Theatre Project?

From 1935 to 1939.

Who ran the Federal Theatre Project?

Hallie Flanagan was its national director.

What was the Federal Theatre Project part of?

The Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program.

Why was the Federal Theatre Project shut down?

Congress ended its funding in 1939 amid criticism of its productions.

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