S8 Ep620: 2. Headline: Developing Talent in Harlem’s Negro Unit Guest Author: James Shapiro The Federal Theater Project aimed to develop Black talent by establishing "negro units" across America. The New York unit at the Lafayette Theater was initially led by BroaE
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 22 March 2026
⏱️ 5 minutes
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Summary
2. Headline: Developing Talent in Harlem’s Negro Unit Guest Author: James Shapiro The Federal Theater Project aimed to develop Black talent by establishing "negro units" across America. The New York unit at the Lafayette Theater was initially led by Broadway star Rose McClendon, who recognized the importance of developing Black actors and directors. She brought in John Houseman, then a struggling administrator, who subsequently recruited a nineteen-year-old Orson Welles to direct his first professional Shakespeare play. This initiative provided revolutionary opportunities for Black performers in an industry where they were previously barred from even working as ushers. (2)
1940
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| 0:34.4 | with Indeed. |
| 0:43.9 | I'm John Back to me. do it the right way with indeed i'm john bachelor with jim shapiro who's a professor at columbia university most importantly the author of a new book the playbook a story of theater |
| 0:49.4 | democracy and the making of a culture war we begin with that image of Lafayette Theater on 7th Avenue. |
| 0:56.7 | Now, there are two names that are important here. |
| 0:59.1 | The first is Rose McClendon, who's a star at the time, working Broadway. |
| 1:04.8 | And she is involved in, at this point, imagining what the Lafayette theater rented by the federal theater, the |
| 1:15.5 | federal theater program run by Flanagan for $1,800 a month, I believe. |
| 1:20.3 | What can happen there is the play of Macbeth. |
| 1:23.9 | And she knows somebody named Jacques Hausman. |
| 1:28.4 | Jim, who is Rose McClendon? |
| 1:31.0 | Who is Jacques Hausman? |
| 1:32.3 | Before we introduce the play. |
| 1:35.8 | It's almost a play within a play, to tell you the truth, John. |
| 1:39.7 | The personalities are all larger than life. |
| 1:44.0 | One of the goals, Hallie Flanagan set for the federal theater was to develop black talent. |
| 1:52.5 | And you couldn't be a black usher in a New York Broadway house. |
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