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Walnut Street Theatre
The Walnut Street Theatre is the oldest theatre in America as it first open in 1809. It was "purchased by the Shubert Organization in the 1940s" and during the 1940s it was the location of many pre-Broadway shows that eventually became classics in America ("History of the Theatre"). Some of the plays include A Raisin in the Sun and A Diary of Anne Frank ("History of the Theatre"). It is now a National Historic Landmark and still puts on productions even today ("History of the Theatre"). -
Agnes de Mille
Agnes de Mille was a choreographer of many musicals during the 1940s and 1950s. Some of those musicals included Oklahoma!, Carousel, and Bloomer Girl. Her career began in 1942 when Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo asked her "to create a ballet for the company and her world-famous Rodeo" ("Agnes de Mille's Biography"). In 1947, like no other choreographer had done before, she took on the role of both choreographer and director for Rodgers and Hammerstein's Allegro ("Agnes de Mille's Biography"). -
Oklahoma!
The musical Oklahoma! was written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (Robinson 1). Even today, the musical is well known and performed often. Critics were even impressed by the musical score of the play and how the music fit the plot and the character's actions (Robertson 2). Oklahoma! also "marked an important turning point in the history of the American theatre" (Robertson 1). Integration became an essential part of musical theater because of Oklahoma! (Robertson 3). -
Oscar Hammerstein II
Hammerstein is a well-known lyricist of many musicals. He worked alongside Richard Rogers to create 11 musicals. Two of those musicals are Oklahoma! and Cinderella. Their work also resulted in many awards which included 2 Pulitzer Prizes, 15 Academy Awards, and 2 Grammy's (Gilmer). His collaboration with Rodgers transformed American musical theater. Hammerstein helped to evolve "American musical comedy from simple entertainment to a complex and sophisticated art form" ("Oscar Hammerstein"). -
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett, an absurdist playwright, is referred to as the most influential absurdist playwright. His plays had limited action and instead focused on the importance of "gestures, stage business, pauses, and language he has scripted in his plays" (Brockett et al. 193). Brockett et al state that, "Beckett's plays embody the absurdist vision and methods" more than any other dramatist (193). He embodied the absurdist view and was an influential absurdist writer of the post WWII time period. -
Richard Rodgers
Richard Rogers is a well-known composer of music for many musicals still performed today. His career was over six decades long and he published over 900 songs and 40 Broadway musicals, many during the 1940s and 1950s ("Richard Rodgers"). He worked alongside the lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II to create 11 of those musicals. Two of those musicals are The Sound of Music and The King and I. His work with Hammerstein resulted in many awards which included 35 Tony awards and 2 Emmy awards (Gilmer). -
Waiting For Godot
Waiting For Godot was written by Samuel Beckett, an absurdist playwright, and is a prime example of absurdist drama. Absurdist drama is the idea that the world is irrational which makes it impossible to make meaningful choices. The play has the theme of loneliness and alienation. The setting reflects the theme and consists of dead trees and a road. The characters are just passing time and hoping for something meaningful to happen, just like the absurdist idea (Brockett et al 191-192). -
Helene Weigel
Helene Weigel was an actress from 1919 to 1968 (William). She was married to playwright Bertolt Brecht. She helped him to establish the Berliner Ensemble in 1949 where they performed his plays (Brockett et al 189). Her acting style combined "realistic and stylized dialogue and gestures" and was her own interpretation of Brecht's "alienation effect" (William). She also believed that if a character has too many details it could ruin the character as it would cause "extreme naturalism" (William). -
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a great representation of the decade that it was written in. It has a theme of lying and deception which fit the time period of post WWII. The play also uses the "Kazan-Mielziner approach to staging (Brockett et al 194). This staging was popular from 1940 to 1960 and consisted of combining psychological realism and "simplified, skeletal settings that permitted fluid shifts in time and place" (Brockett et al. 194). This is a perfect representation of the time period. -
Oliver Smith
Oliver Smith was a set designer for many plays between the years 1942 and 1995. His most notable scenic designs were for The Sound of Music, West Side Story, and My Fair Lady ("Oliver Smith"). He was nominated for several Tony Awards for his set designs over the years. He won the Tony Award, "Scenic Design (play or musical)" in 1957 for My Fair Lady and in 1958 for West Side Story. He won the Tony Award, "Best Scenic Design of a Musical" in 1960 for The Sound of Music ("Oliver Smith").