To combat rising levels of juvenile delinquency in Buffalo, New York, in the 1930s, the Federal Theatre Project created the
Crime Prevention Serial. The multi-episode series follows the trials and tribulations of Johnnie Smith, a hard-headed, 16-year-old
juvenile delinquent from Buffalo, New York. Along with his family, various representatives from law enforcement, some recurring narrators
who act as moral guides, and real-life guest speakers from the city of Buffalo, Johnnie's less-than-honorable escapades offer a
fictionalized account of this very real and rising issue. Broadcast every Tuesday and Thursday night at 7:45 pm on Buffalo's WEBR radio
station, the short episodes portray a customized view of juvenile delinquency, reform, and patriotism that simultaneously speaks to
national concerns and Buffalo's distinct local culture and needs. In this way, the Crime Prevention Serial serves as a unique case study
that broadly explores a larger question within FTP scholarship: How do specific theatres and the communities in which they exist—in this
case the FTP and Buffalo—shape and inform one another? This thesis adds to the existing FTP scholarship by examining three specific tropes
and themes constructed in the series—juvenile delinquency, reform, and patriotism—in order to explore the relationship between theatre and
community by examining the similarities and discrepancies between how these ideas existed within the radio dramas and everyday life. This
thesis interrogates the specific relationship between Buffalo and its local FTP, but also to question how the FTP, through its mandate of
local relevance, served as a vehicle for provoking conversation around larger, national issues. How does Buffalo's crafted text,
commenting on pressing national issues actively achieve the FTP's mission? Understanding the Buffalo FTP's Crime Prevention Serial
challenges a streamlined notion of juvenile delinquency and the FTP and allows us to engage with the intricacies of an issue's
representation, fiction, and reality. Meticulously crafted, this radio drama weaves together a precise portrayal of a terrifying local and
national concern in the hope that young men will abandon lives of crime and return to their families for an idyllic evening, gathered
together around the radio. / Thesis submitted to the School Theatre in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts. / Spring Semester 2016. / April 12, 2016. / Buffalo, New York, federal theatre project, juvenile delinquency, radio drama / Includes bibliographical references. / Elizabeth A. Osborne, Professor Directing Thesis; Mary Karen Dahl, Committee Member; Samer
Al-Saber, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_360403 |
| Contributors | Lunderman, Shelby Caitlyn (authoraut), Osborne, Elizabeth A. (professor directing thesis), Dahl, Mary Karen (committee member), Al-Saber, Samer (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Fine Arts (degree granting college), School of Theatre (degree granting department) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource (77 pages), computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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