Poster for a production of the Living Newspaper One-Third of a Nation.^[1]

Living Newspaper is a term for a theatrical form presenting factual information on current events to a popular audience. Historically, Living Newspapers have also urged social action (both implicitly and explicitly) and reacted against naturalistic and realistic theatrical conventions in favor of the more direct, experimental techniques of agitprop theatre, including the extensive use of multimedia. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 368 × 598 pixelsFull resolution (412 × 670 pixel, file size: 58 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: George Mason Universitys Federal Theatre Project Poster, Costume, and Set Design, Slide Collection, <http://dspace. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 368 × 598 pixelsFull resolution (412 × 670 pixel, file size: 58 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: George Mason Universitys Federal Theatre Project Poster, Costume, and Set Design, Slide Collection, <http://dspace. ... Naturalism is a movement in theater, film, and literature that seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality, as opposed to such movements as Romanticism or Surrealism, in which subjects may receive highly symbolic, idealistic, or even supernatural treatment. ... Realism in the theatre was a general movement in the later 19th century that steered theatrical texts and performances toward greater fidelity to real life. ... Agitprop poster by Vladimir Mayakovsky. ... Look up Multimedia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Though Living Newspapers originated in Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution^[2], the English term is most often associated with the Living Newspapers produced by the Federal Theatre Project. Part of the federally-funded arts program established under the Works Progress Administration in the United States of the 1930s, the Federal Theatre Project wrote and presented a number of Living Newspapers on social issues of the day, including Triple-A Plowed Under, Injunction Granted, One-Third of a Nation, Power, and Spirochete. Controversy over the political ideology of the Living Newspapers contributed to the disbanding of the Federal Theatre Project in 1939^[3], and a number of Living Newspapers already written or in development were never performed^[4], including several that addressed race issues.^[5] The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution, the first having been instigated by the events around the February Revolution. ... Poster for Festival of American Dance, Los Angeles Federal Theatre Project, WPA, 1937 The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was a New Deal project to fund theater and other live artistic performances in the United States during the Great Depression. ... WPA Graphic The Works Progress Administration (later Work Projects Administration, abbreviated WPA), was created on May 6, 1935 by Presidential order (Congress funded it annually but did not set it up). ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known as the World Depression. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History of the FTP’s Living Newspapers

Establishment of the NY Living Newspaper Unit and Ethiopia

The Living Newspaper program began very shortly after the establishment of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP). Following her appointment as National Director of the FTP in July 1935, Hallie Flanagan, a professor and playwright at Vassar College^[6], and playwright Elmer Rice set to work planning the organization and focus of the FTP.^[7] The New York Living Newspaper Unit came from this meeting; allied with the American Newspaper Guild^[8], this first and most active of the Living Newspaper Units employed out-of-work journalists and theatre professionals of all types, providing hourly wages for many reporters and entertainers left unemployed by the Depression.^[9] 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Hallie Flanagan (27 August 1889-23 July 1969) was an American theatrical visionary, director, playwright, author, and director of the Federal Theater Project, a part of the Works Progress Administration. ... Vassar College is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college situated in Poughkeepsie, New York, USA. Founded as a womens college in 1861, it was the first member of the Seven Sisters to become coeducational. ... Elmer Rice photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1934 Elmer Rice (b. ... The Newspaper Guild is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933 who noticed that unionized printers and truck drivers were making more money than they did. ... A journalist is a person who practices journalism. ... For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ...

The research staff of the Living Newspaper Unit quickly compiled their first Living Newspaper, Ethiopia, which went into rehearsal in 1936.^[10] It never opened to the public. The federal government issued a censorship order prohibiting the impersonation of heads of state onstage^[11]; the order effectively scuttled the production, which dramatized the invasion of Ethiopia by Mussolini and featured Mussolini and other real-life figures prominently as characters. Elmer Rice withdrew from the FTP in protest.^[12] 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Benito Mussolini created a fascist state through the use of propaganda, total control of the media and disassembly of the working democratic government. ...

Controversy: Triple-A Plowed Under and Injunction Granted

Left with no script and the pressing need to provide its performers with a play, the Unit drew up another Living Newspaper, Triple-A Plowed Under, within a matter of weeks. Morale had dropped in the wake of Ethiopia’s cancellation, and Triple-A’s original director left in frustration; Joseph Losey, known for his support of the Communist party and recently returned from a visit to Moscow, replaced him.^[13] Triple-A Plowed Under dramatized the plight of Dust Bowl farmers and suggested that farmers and workers unite to cut out the “middlemen” – dealers and other commercial interests.^[14] The “Triple-A” in the title came from the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, which the play criticized.^[15] Like other Living Newspapers to follow, it employed the “Voice of the Living Newspaper,” a disembodied voice which commented on and narrated the action; shadows; image projections; elaborate sound design, with sound effects and music; abrupt blackouts and scene changes; and other non-realistic devices to keep the audiences’ attention and support the message of the play. Joseph Losey (January 14, 1909 - June 22, 1984) was an American theater and film director. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... Dust storm approaching Stratford, Texas in 1935 Buried machinery in barn lot. ... The Agricultural Adjustment Act (or AAA) (Public law 73-10 of May 12, 1933) restricted production during the New Deal by paying farmers to reduce crop area. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A minor Living Newspaper, Events of 1935, followed Triple-A Plowed Under. A collage of scenes from many 1935 news events, ranging from celebrity gossip to major legal cases, 1935 ran for only 34 performances. Cosgrove identifies it as the "least successful" of all the Living Newspapers.^[16] 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ...

Though Triple-A had clearly criticized government decisions and supported the laborer over the “merchant,” the Unit’s third Living Newspaper, also directed by Losey, explicitly supported workers’ organizations and angered members of the federal government. Injunction Granted, which opened four months after the close of Triple-A^[17], lampooned big business men such as H.J. Heinz and newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst^[18] and called for unions to join the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), a major, militant workers’ association.^[19] It aroused government concern during rehearsal; and Hallie Flanagan urged Losey to re-write parts of the script, but the play made it to the stage largely unaltered.^[20] The piece ran on over-the-top satire and explicit bias: Heinz was introduced holding a giant pickle; Dean Jennings of the Newspaper Guild trounced Hearst in a boxing match; and a clown (played by actor Norman Lloyd^[21]) served as master-of-ceremonies for the entire production, according to Cosgrove.^[22] Injunction Granted drew massive criticism and closed early. Losey soon left the Unit and the FTP, though Flanagan offered to give him another chance.^[23] Henry J. Heinz Henry John Heinz (October 11, 1844–May 14, 1919) was a United States businessman. ... For other people named William Randolph Hearst, see William Randolph Hearst (disambiguation) William Randolph Hearst I (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper magnate. ... The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, was a federation of unions that organized industrial workers in the United States and Canada in 1935-1955. ... Norman Lloyd (born November 8, 1914) is an American veteran actor, producer and director with a career in entertainment spanning more than six decades. ...

The Turnaround: Power and One-Third of a Nation

"The Consumer learns that there is only one electric co. that he can deal with. Allan Tower and Norman Lloyd."

A promotional photo for the New York production of Power, showcasing the unique 2-dimensional scenery used in some Living Newspapers.^[24]

With the censorship of Ethiopia and the negative reaction to Injunction Granted, the Living Newspaper Unit had twice attracted criticism from the government that funded it. In order to continue as a federal program, it became more retrospect and less politically radical in its choice of topics but did not give up its dedication to reportage on major social issues and calls for social change. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 775 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (969 × 750 pixel, file size: 48 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Author unknown; found in the Library of Congresss American Memory collection, The New Deal Stage: Selections from the Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939; <http://memory. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 775 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (969 × 750 pixel, file size: 48 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Author unknown; found in the Library of Congresss American Memory collection, The New Deal Stage: Selections from the Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939; <http://memory. ... Norman Lloyd (born November 8, 1914) is an American veteran actor, producer and director with a career in entertainment spanning more than six decades. ...

Its first production following Injunction Granted demonstrated this new emphasis. Opening early in 1937, Power clearly supported the policies of the New Deal and the Works Progress Administration. Power chronicled the search of the public consumer for affordable electric power and held up the Tennessee Valley Authority project as an example of where such power could come from.^[25] The play also introduced the “little man” figure to the Living Newspaper – a character who represented the consumer and the public, appearing throughout the play, asking questions and receiving explanations.^[26] Power garnered a positive reception, running for 140 performances and then converting to a scaled-down travelling form for outdoors summer performances throughout the city.^[27] Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Deal was the title President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave to the series of programs he initiated between 1933 and 1938 with the goal of providing relief, recovery, and reform (3 Rs) to the people and economy of the United States during the Great Depression. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

The next Living Newspaper also met with public and critical success. Over the summer of 1937, Flanagan oversaw the Federal Theatre Project Summer School at Vassar College; the forty theatre artists invited to this program developed the first version of a Living Newspaper on tenant housing which grew to become One-Third of a Nation.^[28] In its finished form, One-Third of a Nation opened early in 1938 and ran for 237 performances, making it the most successful of the Living Newspapers.^[29] The play abandoned some of the experimental nature of the earlier Living Newspapers, using a very realistic set to display the filth and dangers of a tenant slum, but retained the episodic format and multimedia (sound, film, and image) displays that characterized the form. The production received praise from critics and may have helped push through housing legislation. It eventually opened in major cities throughout the country.^[30] Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The End of the FTP and the Living Newspaper Unit

Despite its rising success and less radical tone, the tide of government opinion turned against the Federal Theatre Project – and the Living Newspapers in particular – in 1938. Established in this year, the House on Un-American Activities (HUAC) began an investigation of the FTP, focusing on its alleged Communist sympathies and anti-American propagandism.^[31] Flanagan defended the FTP and the Living Newspapers, holding that the program had presented propaganda, yes, but “…propaganda for democracy, propaganda for better housing,” not propaganda against the government.^[32] Despite her defense of the program and President Roosevelt’s protests, Congress disbanded the FTP – and with it, the New York Living Newspaper Unit – on July 30, 1939.^[33] Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... HUAC hearings House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC or HCUA) (1938–1975) was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. ... Soviet Propaganda Poster during World War II. The text reads Red Army Fighter, SAVE US! Chinese propaganda poster from the time of the Cultural Revolution. ... FDR redirects here. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The end of the FTP and the Unit left many complete and partially-developed Living Newspaper scripts unperformed and unfinished. Among these were three by African-American playwrights that dealt with race issues and racism, including Liberty Deferred, by Abram Hill and John Silvera, which followed the history of slavery in the U.S. and addressed the lynchings of African-Americans in the South.^[34] Some historians suggest that Congress shut down the Federal Theatre Project partially to stifle the voices of African-American theatre professionals and criticism of racism in the U.S., or that the FTP delayed production of these plays out of fear of just such a reprisal.^[35] Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... This box:      Racism has many definitions, the most common and widely accepted is that members of one race are intrinsically superior or inferior to members of other races. ... Lynching is murder (mostly by hanging) conceived by its perpetrators as extra-legal execution. ... The U.S. Southern states or The South, known during the American Civil War era as Dixie, is a distinctive region of the United States with its own unique historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ...

Living Newspapers Outside of New York

Poster for the original Chicago production of Spirochete.^[36]

Though the New York Living Newspaper Unit produced most of the major Living Newspapers, other units in cities throughout the U.S. produced or planned Living Newspapers. In most cases, these productions were local runs of the New York Living Newspapers. Both Power and One-Third of a Nation ran throughout the U.S., with the scripts altered to various degrees to suit local conditions. In Seattle, the mayor declared "Power Week" in honor of the week-long run of Power, recognizing the timeliness of the play's subject matter: With the public Bonneville hydroelectric project on the horizon, private and public power companies were vying for support in the city.^[37] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 365 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (408 × 670 pixel, file size: 66 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: George Mason Universitys Federal Theatre Project Poster, Costume, and Set Design, Slide Collection, <http://dspace. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 365 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (408 × 670 pixel, file size: 66 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: George Mason Universitys Federal Theatre Project Poster, Costume, and Set Design, Slide Collection, <http://dspace. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... Bonneville Lock and Dam is several dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the US states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146. ...

Non-New-York Units also researched and wrote their own Living Newspapers. The Southwest Unit, in California, planned and researched Spanish Grant, on a historical incident in which a series of "speculative land deals" took land from communities, and Land Grant, on the 1848 cessation of California to the United States and corrupt land deals that led up to it.^[38] Washington's unit planned Timber; Iowa's Dirt^[39]; and Connecticut's Stars and Bars; however, none of these regional Living Newspapers ever made it to full production.^[40] Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Californias Yosemite Valley. ...

On the other hand, Chicago produced an original Living Newspaper that rivalled the later New York Living Newspapers in its impact and positive reception. In 1938, Arnold Sundgaard's Spirochete, a Living Newspaper on the history of syphilis, opened in Chicago.^[41] Using the image projections, extensive sound design, shadowplay, brief scenes, and "little man" character (here, a patient embodying all syphilis suffererers throughout history^[42]) made standard by the New York Unit, Spirochete followed syphilis from its introduction in Europe in the 1400s through to the social stigma surrounding it in the 1930s. The play pushed for audiences to support the Marriage Test Law of 1937, which required blood tests for syphilis prior to marriage.^[43] Spirochete became the second most produced Living Newspaper, after One-Third of a Nation^[44] and ran in four other major cities as part of a nationwide syphilis-education and -prevention campaign.^[45] Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Category: ...

Notes

References

• Cosgrove, Stuart. Introduction. Liberty Deferred and Other Living Newspapers of the 1930s. Federal Theatre Project. Ed. Lorraine Brown. Fairfax: George Mason UP, 1989. ix-xxv.

• Cosgrove, Stuart. The Living Newspaper: History, Production, and Form. Hull: University of Hull, 1982.

• George Mason University Special Collections & Archives. "Federal Theatre Project Poster, Costume, and Set Design Slide Collection." Special Collections & Archives: George Mason University Libraries. George Mason University. 28 Oct. 2007 <http://www.aladin.wrlc.org/gsdl/collect/ftpp/ftpp.shtml>.

• Hill, Abram and John Silvera. Liberty Deferred. Liberty Deferred and Other Living Newspapers of the 1930s. Ed. Lorraine Brown. Fairfax: George Mason UP, 1989. 249-303.

• The Library of Congress. American Memory. 13 Aug. 2007. The Government of the United States. 28 Oct. 2007 <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html>.

• Nadler, Paul. "Liberty Censored: Black Living Newspapers of the Federal Theatre Project." African American Review 29 (1995): 615-622.

• O'Connor, John S. "'Spirochete' and the War on Syphilis." The Drama Review 21.1 (1977): 91-98.

• Witham, Barry B. The Federal Theatre Project: A Case Study. Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama. Ser. 20. New York: Cambridge UP, 2003.

Further Reading

• Arent, Arthur. "'Ethiopia: The First 'Living Newspaper.'" Educational Theatre Journal 20.1 (1968): 15-31.

• Federal Theatre Project. Liberty Deferred and Other Living Newspapers of the 1930s. Federal Theatre Project. Ed. Lorraine Brown. Fairfax: George Mason UP, 1989.

Links

• By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943 at the Library of Congress website; includes posters for Living Newspapers.

• The New Deal Stage: Selections from the Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939, at the Library of Congress website; contains production materials from Power.

• New Deal Network; photo gallery contains images from Living Newspaper productions.

• George Mason University's Federal Theatre Project Collection website; contains posters for Living Newspapers.