Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1980. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 279-287).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1955. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [466]-483).

Thesis (M.A.)--Kutztown University, 1996. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2834. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-92).

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio University, November, 2002. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-86)

This thesis examines the various futures presented by the original children's theatre of the Federal Theatre Project. Combining original archival research and play analysis, I investigate four plays from the Federal Theatre's canon: The Emperor's New Clothes (1935) and A Letter to Santa Claus (1938) by Charlotte Chorpenning, Revolt of the Beavers (1937) by Oscar Saul and Lou Lantz, and Pinocchio (1938-9) by Yasha Frank. I posit that the futures presented by the four plays allowed the spectators to envision a new American future beyond the Great Depression: of prosperity, of class equality, of individual agency. These futures were in conversation with the larger unspoken political goal of the Project - to produce theatre relevant to its time and place, and thus to its audiences' time and place. By analyzing the plays and their reception by young, adult, and critical audiences, my thesis reveals a a critical genealogy, one that can be traced through conservative arts criticism in the 1930s through present-day attacks on national arts such as PBS and the NEA / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1996. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [291]-299).

This historical case study examined the Federal Theatre's Living Newspaper Spirochete, a dramatized history of syphilis, and its relationship to public health education during the late 1930s. The materials for this historical case study were found in the Library of Congress Federal Theatre Project Special Collection, Fenwick Library, George Mason University, and in materials from the Records of the Works Projects Administration located in the National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D. C. The study sought to examine and establish Spirochete as an example of a special relationship among government, health, education and the arts. An investigation of SpIrochete's relationship to public health education and an inquiry into Spirochete as a dramatic form provided the basis for the study. The study found that Spirochetes origins lay in the unique socioeconomic and political environment of Chicago, and of the nation, during the mid to late 1930s. Spirochete was similar to other Living Newspapers in its goal to inform audiences about a pressing social problem, to present facts and information, and then to motivate action resulting in social change. Spirochete 's form and techniques incorporated many of those found in other Federal Theatre Living Newspapers including many short scenes separated by Black Outs, experimental staging, and the innovative use of light, sound and spectacle to underscore and forward the dramatic action. Spirochete, however, was unique in its subject, syphilis, in its historical perspective, and its use of dramatized case histories juxtaposed with on-stage demonstrations of medical and scientific progress. The study determined that the more than 100 performances of Spirochete in five cities made significant contributions to health issues and attitudes in the War on Syphilis. Spirochete helped break the silence that surrounded the nation's number one preventable killer and crippler. Spirochete imparted facts about syphilis in dramatic vignettes and with creative, innovative stagecraft. Although Spirochete cannot be considered great theatre, according to the criteria of most theatre authorities, Spirochete was a vibrant, viable form of education. Spirochete was propaganda, presenting a definite idea for a definite purpose. Conclusions drawn from the study indicate that Spirochete was an intentional, unique, and vital weapon in the War on Syphilis. / Ed. D.

No description available.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, newspaper theatre was born from the need to inform those who could not read the news for themselves. There have been many contributors and influential factors to the multi-faceted evolution of newspaper theatre. Contributors include Meyerhold, Piscator, Brecht, Hallie Flanagan and Arthur Arent, and Augusto Boal. Influential factors include technology, politics, and the influence of theatrical movements. The most popular and most frequent contributors to contemporary newspaper theatre are the legitimate news media and comedy news shows.

This dissertation traces the early origins of Shirley Graham Du Bois, a well known Negro achiever in the 1930s and 1940s, from the decades preceding her birth in 1896 up through the mid-twentieth century when she has reached mid life and achieved a number of successes. It attempts to reclaim from obscurity the significant cultural production that Shirley Graham contributed to American society. Her artistry and activism were manifested in many ways. As a very young woman she conducted, throughout the northern and eastern parts of the U. S., musical concerts extolling the beauty and significance of spirituals. While attending school at Oberlin College, she wrote a musical opera that was regarded during its time as the world's first race opera. In 1936 she assumed the role of Director for the Chicago Black Unit of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP). After the FTP phased out, she attended Yale School of Drama to learn the craft of playwriting, and proceeded to write several plays that were staged and viewed by interracial audiences. As the country prepared for WWII, she was selected to head USO activities in Fort Huachuca, Arizona where the largest aggregation of Negro soldiers were stationed before being sent off to battle. She subsequently became a field secretary for the NAACP during this period of tumultuous change in the nation and the world. The early 1940s would see Graham reach the pinnacle of success during this phase of her life by writing biographies for a national children's audience. This success was short lived due to the political climate of red-baiting that became fashionable during the political reign of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Graham's progressive politics, communist affiliation and marriage to W. E. B. Du Bois placed her on the wrong side of the establishment. Each chapter develops the varying forms her activism took shape in each given situation. Following the example of fore-parents who were politically and socially engaged during their lifetimes, Graham follows suit. Her efforts reveal a woman who educated, inspired and empowered others while demonstrating the different ways one could use her abilities to confront racism.