Theatre Thursday: New Theatre Magazine and the Workers’ Theatre Movement
Written by Zachary Grewe, student employee
The Workers’ Theatre Movement arose in the late 1920s and early 1930s and aimed to use art as a weapon against the forces of fascism, militarism, and capitalism. The movement was comprised of various theatre troupes around the country that practiced a form of theatre known as “agitprop” (or agitational propaganda). These various troupes eventually came to form a loose network of leftist theatre organizations that were eventually known as the New Theatre League. In 1935, the New Theatre League began publishing a monthly magazine known as New Theatre.
Each issue of New Theatre contained an assortment of articles on the state of the movement; reviews of films, plays, and dance productions with political significance; and some issues even contained entire scripts for one-act plays. Published in New York City, the magazine also contains advertisements from local theatre organizations and businesses.
Special Collections has ten issues running from February 1936 to November 1936. Many of the issues feature artistic works in response to U.S. involvement in WWII and many of the articles encourage anti-war activism. The parallels to later activism in opposition to the war in Vietnam are clear, but this was a completely different time. Among the most striking differences is the lack of any apparent hostility towards Russian labor movements. In fact, the agitprop form originated with Soviet theatre troupes.
References
“New Theatre.” New Theatre, August 1936. Print.
Shaw, Irwin. “Bury the Dead.” New Theatre, April 1936. Print.
Von Wiegand, Charmion. “Little Charlie, What Now?” New Theatre, March 1936. Print.
“New Theatre.” New Theatre, April 1936. Print.
“Advertisements.” New Theatre, March 1936. Print.