642 Theater and Democracy (with James Shapiro)

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

Arts, Books, History

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 October 2024

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It's hard to imagine now, but the United States government wasn't always hostile or indifferent to the arts. In fact, from 1935 to 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal Government responded to the Great Depression by staging over a thousand theatrical productions in 29 states that were seen by thirty million (or nearly one in four) Americans, two thirds of whom had never seen a play before. How did Roosevelt's administration come to hire over twelve thousand struggling artists, including Orson Welles and Arthur Miller? How successful were the plays? And what ultimately shut them down? James Shapiro (The Playbook: A Story of Theater, Democracy, and the Making of a Culture War) joins Jacke for a discussion of the Federal Theatre Project and its legacy. Additional listening suggestions: 548 Shakespeare in a Divided America (with James Shapiro) 374 Ancient Plays and Contemporary Theater (with Bryan Doerries) 624 Top 10 Great Performances (with Laurie Frankel) | My Last Book with James Shapiro The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The History of Literature Podcast is a member of the Podglamorate Network and LIT Hub Radio.
0:07.0	Thoughtful Driving Tips from Eso, Number 3. This is Kiran. He's doing 70 on the motorway, on his way to a
0:16.8	cheeky spar appointment, though his diaries as he's visiting a client.
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0:28.8	Enjoy that hot stone massage, Kiran.
0:31.6	Slowing down a little.
0:32.6	Live on the zone October 19th,
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1:03.0	Hello there are times when disasters bring opportunity.
1:07.0	In the 1930s in America, a nation struggling with unemployment and economic hardship turned to the government for answers.
1:17.2	And Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the middle of an unprecedented and never to be repeated four victorious campaigns for president
1:25.8	was eager to supply them. We could talk about Social Security and the FDIC and other New Deal programs that are still with us.
1:36.5	But because this is the history of literature, we will talk about something else.
1:41.6	The idea almost unimaginable today that the federal government
1:46.5	put theater people to work, hiring directors and actors and crew, thousands of them, and sending them out across the country to put on plays.
	...

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