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The Stage Women's War Relief (1918)
The Stage Women's War Relief was an organization on New York that designed different performances for the troops. "They provided hospital supplies and clothing for soldiers in Europe, conducted Liberty Loan drives, arranged entertainments and stage performances for troops, and opened a canteen in 1918 for soldiers and sailors in New York City." (The New York Public Library) -
Kenneth Macgowan (1888-1963)
Macgowan graduated Harvard in 1911 and was active in the Greenwich Village's theater circuit around 1919 and on. Part of the "Provincetown Playhouse" with Eugene O'Neill (with whom he was close friends) and Robert Edmond Jones in 1922. He was a well known director, producer, writer, and critic. -
The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neill
The Emperor Jones is a play written by American dramatist, Eugene O'Neil. He was the first dramatist to win international recognition because of his work. O'Neil was known for using a huge variety of different styles in his plays. -
Robert Edmond Jones (1887-1954)
Jones graduated from Harvard in 1910 and was best known by his "imaginative simplification of sets that initiated the 20th-century American revolution against realism in stage design" (Britannica). He began to work with Kenneth Macgowan in the 1920s, with the Provincetown Playhouse (or Provincetown Players). Jones also co-published "Continental Stagecraft" (1922) with him. From 1921-1946, he designed sets for plays by Eugene O'Neill. In 1933, he started designing for color motion pictures. -
"Beyond the Horizon" by Eugene O'Neill (1920)
The lives of brothers Robert and Andrew unfold in this play. Robert sets sail with a family member and explores the world and Andrew inherits their family farm and stays put on land. Before Robert leaves for his voyage on the oceans, he discovers he is in love with a girl named Ruth Atkins, who just happens to be the girl next door. This play won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1920. -
American Laboratory Theatre (1923)
The American Laboratory Theatre was created in 1923 by Richard Boleslavsky and Maria Ouspenskaya. This was a drama school that was located in New York. This was a widely known school and around 500 people attended there at this time. "The school, called the Theatre Arts Institute, was noted for its use of the Stanislavsky method, a precursor to the American Method style of acting." (The University of Kansas -
The Jazz Singer (1927)
The Jazz Singer is an American drama that was filmed by Alan Crosland. It was the first motion picture with music and people actually talking and singing in the movie, which prior to this was not done or done enough."Warner Bros.' and director Alan Crosland's The Jazz Singer (1927) is an historic milestone film and cinematic landmark." (Filmsite) -
Group Theatre (1931)
Group Theatre was created in 1931 by former students of the Moscow Art Theatre and the American Laboratory. This came to be one of the most respected groups in the US. So many great plays and productions came from this group and they really made a mark on American Theatre. "Group Theatre, company of stage craftsmen founded in 1931 in New York City by a former Theatre Guild member... for the purpose of presenting American plays of social significance." (Britannica) -
"Works Progress Administration" and "The Federal Theatre Project" (1935-1943)
"The Works Progress Administration" (WPA) was an employment and infrastructure program created by President Roosevelt in May 1935, after the stock market crash of October 1929. From 1935-1943, the WPA put roughly 8.5 million Americans to work. "The Federal Theatre Project" was created in August 1935. It was the largest and most ambitious efforts sponsored by the WPA and provided work for unemployed professionals in the theater during the Great Depression from 1935-1939. -
"American Theatre Wing" (1940-Present)
This organization evolved from “The Stage Women’s War Relief” to the “American Theatre Wing” in 1940 due to another world war looming. The organization assisted with entertainment for the troops through theatrical performances with the “Stage Door Canteen”. They also donated a huge amount of money to legitimize the art form. "The Wing donated $75,000 dollars to the USO to inaugurate drama as legitimate entertainment for troops overseas while sparking excitement for theatre back home." (The Wing)