Living Newspaper
A Living Newspaper is a theatrical format that engages audiences by dramatizing current events and social issues, often proposing ways to inspire change. Originating post-1917 Revolution in the Soviet Union and gaining traction in 1920s Germany, this concept was notably utilized in the United States during the Federal Theatre Project (FTP) from 1935 until its cancellation in 1939. The FTP was established during the Great Depression to create jobs in the arts, providing a platform for playwrights, actors, and technicians to explore significant societal themes. Living Newspapers sought to simplify complex topics, making them relatable and relevant to audiences, and often featured stock characters to highlight clear narratives. Productions tackled various issues, such as racism, labor rights, and public health, though they were sometimes criticized for bias and not presenting multiple viewpoints. Notable works include "One-Third of a Nation," addressing housing and poverty, and "Power," which examined electricity distribution and its socio-economic implications. These plays often reflected contemporary issues in real time, illustrating their urgency and relevance within the societal context of the era.
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Living Newspaper
A living newspaper is a theatrical presentation that focuses on current events and issues and offers suggestions for how to effect change. Living newspapers were used by the Soviet Union as propaganda after the 1917 Revolution and became popular in Germany during the 1920s. Such presentations were widely used in the United States as part of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP) beginning in 1935. The project was cancelled in 1939 when critics suggested that living newspapers had a communist agenda.
Background
The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was developed during the Great Depression (1929–1939) to fund theatrical works, create plays, and train writers. Like all New Deal projects, the FTP was created to provide jobs and employed many actors, producers, technicians, and writers. Its mission also included addressing current events through drama. These productions did not require elaborate sets or other expensive and time-consuming elements. Many writers were recruited from the ranks of unemployed journalists.
Living newspapers were seen as a means of making complex issues easier to understand. The productions dramatized a problem, explaining a variety of aspects of an issue. They also showed how average people were affected by a topic, making the issue relevant to the audience. FTP living newspaper productions dealt with racism, the labor movement, and public health concerns, among other topics. They were not required to present both sides of an issue, and many were biased.
Living newspapers emphasized stock characters, which are characters easily understood and recognized, such as heroes and villains.
Famous Productions
One of the most famous living newspaper productions is One-Third of a Nation: A Living Newspaper About Housing. This work focuses on the segment of the American population entrenched in poverty; the title refers to the inaugural promise of President Franklin Roosevelt. Another work, Triple-A Plowed Under, criticizes the Agricultural Administration Act, which paid farmers to destroy crops.
Power by Arthur Arent explores the development of electricity and the companies controlling it. Power's 1937 theatrical run closely paralleled the pace of the print newspaper industry, with researchers following breaking news even as the play was being performed. The US Supreme Court was deliberating the passage of the Tennessee Valley Act (TVA), which permitted a series of dams to be built along the Tennessee River. The TVA was meant to bring electricity to poor rural areas in seven states, but private utility companies objected to the government project, calling it unfair competition.
The FTP researchers and playwright Arent were still writing Power a week before it debuted and constantly checked the status of the Supreme Court case to keep the play as up to date as possible. The word power, in the hands of the FTP, refers to what courses through the utility lines and who controls it.
Bibliography
"Coast to Coast: The Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939." Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/exhibits/federal-theatre-project/living-newspaper.html. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
"Living Newspapers." The Great Depression in Washington State, depts.washington.edu/depress/theater‗arts‗living‗newspaper.shtml. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
"Living Newspapers: When News Made the Theatre." Library of Congress, 16 Aug. 2022, blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2022/08/living-newspapers. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
"The Origins of the Living Newspaper." Royal Court Theatre, royalcourttheatre.com/the-origins-of-the-living-newspaper. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Soloski, Alexis. "The Living Newspaper: America's Rapid-Response Drama." The Guardian, 28 Mar. 2011, www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2011/mar/28/living-newspaper-rapid-response-drama. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.