The Federal Theatre Project's "Cradle Will Rock": Art Meets Politics
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The Federal Theatre Project's "Cradle Will Rock": Art Meets Politics
Based on “The Cradle Will Rock” and the other videos related to the Federal Theatre
Project, one can ascertain that it was nearly impossible to separate art from politics during the
Great Depression. US theatre artists claim that art belongs out of politics, yet this historic event
is all about art and politics.
Analyzing this story based on two critical approaches, social significance and Artistic
Quality, is essential to understand how theatre influences and mirrors society.
Social Significance
The social setting of the movie is 1937 America, which is portrayed in the movie as
tumultuous. The film opens with scenes of strikes and political tension, thus giving an overview
of the milieu in which the drama is to take place. When measuring the degree of threat of “The
Cradle Will Rock” their actions range from locking the opera theatre, to withholding resources
necessary to continue work on an opera (Fabián Russo, 2012). This censorship attempt reveal
that theatre is one of the most powerful tools to raise awareness of the current social issues. It
was not unusual that the Federal Theatre Project’s production would become focal point for
those deeper social issues, proving that art can be a strong form of social commentary and protest
even in the harsh climate of oppression.
Artistic Quality
Censorship is effectively illustrated through this work and the ingenious way art
retaliated depicts its defiance. According to John Houseman: “Our actors had been forbidden by
their union to appear on stage. There was no ruling against their playing their parts in the house
and that's what they did" (New Line Theatre, 2012). This negative situation was turned into a
positive aspect due to its impromptu and location-dependent approach that also improved the
artistic value of the drama performance.
The following examples due show us how the Federal Theatre Project transformed
theatre into both work and a necessity in American society. It interrogated the contrast where art
belongs to politics, showing instead how they can fuel each other.
