€16.99
‘Tremendous.’ DAVID HARE
‘An absorbing, necessary book.’ AHAD AKHTAR
‘Fascinating and energising.’ FINANCIAL TIMES
From the ‘Winner of Winners’ of the Baillie Gifford Prize, a timely and dramatic story of a utopian American experiment, and the self-serving politicians that engineered its downfall.
In 1935 the American public was presented with a radical opportunity.
Established under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, the Federal Theatre Project would employ 12,000 artists, writers, and actors; stage more than 1,000 productions; and reach over 30 million people. Its output included Orson Welles’ directorial debut, a landmark modern dance programme, and shows that sought to shed light on the reality of racism, inequality and the dangers of fascism.
But within three years, an opportunistic Texas congressman had embarked on a campaign to destroy it, inventing a playbook that echoes into the culture wars of today.
From one of the world’s great storytellers, The Playbook is an illuminating account of a terrifyingly prescient moment in twentieth-century American cultural history.
In stock
1935. Franklin D. Roosevelt is under pressure to combat the skyrocketing levels of unemployment in post-war America. He announces a sweeping range of revolutionary initiatives, known collectively as the New Deal. Among these initiatives is a landmark programme designed to bring innovative, experimental theatre to the American masses. The Federal Theatre Project staged critically acclaimed and wildly popular productions across America – including Orson Welles’ directorial debut, a landmark early modern dance programme, and shows that sought to tell the truth about racism, poverty and the rising tides of fascism. From one of the world’s great storytellers, ‘Playbook’ is an invigorating re-enactment of a terrifyingly prescient moment in 20th-century American cultural history, the dimensions of which echo through every democracy today.
| Dimensions | 19.8 × 12.9 cm |
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| Cover | Paperback |
| Pages | 272 |
| Language | English |
| Edition | |
| Dewey | 792.0973 (edition:23) |
| Readership | General – Trade / Code: K |
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