2. Guest Author: James Shapiro James Shapiro explains how Hollywood's dominance decimated local theaters, leaving countless actors unemployed by the 1930s. To address this, Harry Hopkins recruited Hallie Flanagan, an experimental theater professor, to lea

2. Guest Author: James Shapiro James Shapiro explains how Hollywood's dominance decimated local theaters, leaving countless actors unemployed by the 1930s. To address this, Harry Hopkins recruited Hallie Flanagan, an experimental theater professor, to lead the Federal Theater Project. Flanagan treated the arts as a federally supported industry, eventually employing 12,000 workers and staging 10,000 productions across 29 states. One-fourth of the American population saw these plays, often for free. The project also established "Negro Units" to develop Black talent and reach underserved communities, involving figures like Rose McClendon and John Houseman. (2)

1916