Constant Conflict Between The Commercial Theater And Independent Non-Profit Theater

As the Great Depression was underway, theaters struggled to stay open and care for their members. In fact, every Shubert Theater in Chicago and 253 companies in New York City were closed. Only a fraction of the actors, directors, stagehands, and technicians remained employed. Franklin Delano Roosevelt believed in saving the arts by educating the public, along with director Hallie Flanagan establishing the Federal Theater Project (FTP). With high expectations for the FTP to help the arts, it failed. With there being constant conflict between the commercial theater advocates and independent non-profit theater supports about funding, theaters began to slowly rise. “Hard hit by both the Depression and the rise of the cinema, the commercial theater had been trying unsuccessfully to gain government backing for a financially devastated Broadway as early as 1933, but using Federal monies to back private businesses was clearly unconstitutional,” which was appointed in Text 2. Disagreements with many unions caused recruiting workers to be difficult. With these conflicts arising, the FTP was shutting down, but the unions continued to push for wages that were higher than allowed. The FTP eventually ended by an act of Congress, after the constant controversies.
Trying to create national audiences established in small towns and cities, the theater units performed more than 1,000 acts each month for nearly one million people. Regardless of achieving many of the FTP’s goals, by educating the public about theater, the relief did not last long. Explained in Text 3, “The Federal Theatre Magazine united the disparate FTP components describing and criticizing the work of units.” Downplaying the arts put negative connotation on everyone’s opinion of theater. Consequently, the arts fell back down after its short