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How Did The Theater Contribute To The Downfall Of The FTP?

566 Words3 Pages

When the Great Depression hit the world, many businesses and people struggled to survive. One of the businesses that hurt the most were the theatres. The government saw this lack of culture and decrease of theatres during these times, and so Hallie Flanagan became the director of a new Federal Theatre Project (FTP). The FTP’s goal was to help bring actors, playwrights, and theatre owners back from the brink of bankruptcy. In theory, this was a good idea to bring some light to these dark times with plays and the spread of culture. Then again it was run and funded by the government who had their own agenda and rules. These actions made many theatre owners and playwrights mad, because they felt like they were being limited artistically. All of these factors led to the downfall of the FTP which only lasted four short years. In the end this project caused more damage to theaters than good. …show more content…

This doesn't even to begin to explain how the FTP essentially destroyed hundreds of theaters, and playwrights alike. One of the main topics that brought opposition from actors and many other people was the censoring of plays. Then the FTP became a political issue when The House Committee, lead by chairman Martin Dies, investigated the project for un-american activities. As Dies states “don’t you think that that being true that no play should ever be produced which undertakes to portray the interest of one class to the disadvantage of another class”. Questions like these lead the leader of the FTP (Hallie Flanagan) to be backed into a corner to which she couldn't get

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