Federal Theatre Project

FEDERAL THEATRE PROJECT. The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was an arm of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Depression. It provided federal subsidy of the theater in order to increase employment and stimulate the nation’s economy. Broadway was hard hit by the Depression. Fewer shows were produced as angels (Broadway investors) found their resources wiped out by the stock market crash. Audiences, too, forsook the theater as an unnecessary luxury. Without product or audience,...