Browse Exhibits (1 total)

Of all the shows produced by the Federal Theatre Project, the Living Newspapers were known to be one of the most popular. Living Newspaper productions were made to take inspiration from popular newspaper headlines of the time. These shows were meant to combine theatre with social, economical, and racial issues, and served as a political "call-to-action" for audience members. 

Harry Hopkins, the head of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, taglined the Federal Theatre Project: "free, adult, uncensored" meaning that the shows should be open to the public in a variety of ways. However, when the first attempted Living Newspaper, Ethiopia faced strict censorship in the state of New York, people began to question whether or not Hopkins truly meant what he had said. 

Thie exhibit explores the rise of the Federal Theatre Project's "Livng Newspaper Unit," and how it lead to the project's eventual disintegration.