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toryhenderson's review
4.0
After watching the movie Cradle Will Rock, I wanted to learn more about the Federal Theatre Project in the 1930's.
gjmaupin's review
4.0
Clearly a topic built for me. A good abbreviated history of a frequently ignored tale in US history.
socraticgadfly's review
5.0
I had read about things like the Writers' Project before, but had read nothing about the Federal Theater Project.
Quinn shows the project reached well beyond Broadway, and brought theater to smaller parts of America. Beyond that, it didn't just do Shakespeare, but did more modern theater.
Or, with the genius of a 20-year-old Orson Welles, when it did do Shakespeare, it did a voodoo-themed Macbeth.
Beyond that, Quinn talks about how the FTP worked to break down segregation issues in local theater, walked landmines of issues with inter-union conflict and finally, was one of the first victims of the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Quinn shows the project reached well beyond Broadway, and brought theater to smaller parts of America. Beyond that, it didn't just do Shakespeare, but did more modern theater.
Or, with the genius of a 20-year-old Orson Welles, when it did do Shakespeare, it did a voodoo-themed Macbeth.
Beyond that, Quinn talks about how the FTP worked to break down segregation issues in local theater, walked landmines of issues with inter-union conflict and finally, was one of the first victims of the House Un-American Activities Committee.
laurabearhere's review
4.0
A wonderful book on a forgotten section of the WPA. Susan Quinn does an excellent job or telling the story of the Federal Theatre Project -- its inception, its struggles, its successes, and unfortunately eventual failure at the hands of politicians. But while it lasted, it was a bold and brilliant experiment to employ actors and stagehands, challenge artists, and expand theatre to a wider audience all over the country. A well-researched but well-told and very accessible read.
bernrr's review
4.0
No, we'll never see anything like the Federal Theater Project again, but enough of the book echoes into the present day to make it interesting; to wit: the culture wars, white supremacists in high office, and using the federal budget as a public policy tool.
Oh, this book was well-written, to boot.
Oh, this book was well-written, to boot.
lizbarr's review
4.0
I enjoy theatrical history, social history and books about the Depression, so Furious Improvisation was pretty much a winner for me. (It makes me a bit sad that most of the popular histories of the Depression are American, but that’s the way it goes, y’know?) It’s a well-written look at the period of the New Deal, and the unpopular choice to direct government funds towards live theater. Because actors, stagehands, directors, they all need to eat too, y’know? And along the way, some terrible theatre is produced, as well as some groundbreaking, game-changing stuff like Orson Welles’ Voodoo Macbeth, the first professional production of Shakespeare with an all-black cast. (Things which should also be the subject of a book in their own right!)
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