Kate Dossett, "Radical Black Theatre in the New Deal" (UNC Press, 2020)

episode

New Books in Performing Arts not yet transcribed

▲ 0

Transcript

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet Upvotes decide what gets transcribed next — 0 so far. Sign in to upvote

More from New Books in Performing Arts

Leonhard Emmerling, "The Idiots: The History of the Homo Nullus" (Seagull Books, 2026) 55 min · 09 Sep 2026

All episodes from New Books in Performing Arts →

Report any issue

Source

Recorded10 May 2021

Publisherfeeds.megaphone.fm

Handlerec:5291484

Show notes

Kate Dossett's book Radical Black Theatre in the New Deal (UNC Press, 2020) turns conventional understandings of the Federal Theatre Project on its head. This book shines a light on the extraordinary work done by the FTP's Negro Units, which staged classic plays with Black casts as well as new plays by Black writers like Theodore Ward. These works reflected contemporary conflicts within the Black community, including the competing radicalisms of Garveyism and Marxism, the place of the folk tradition in contemporary Black culture, and the role of woman as leaders in the Black community. Far from dry propaganda pieces, these plays were a vital response to a period of profound upheaval. Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the playwriting MFA at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Arizona School for the Arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/performing-arts

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.