The Playbook
eBook - ePub

The Playbook

A Story of Theatre, Democracy and the Making of a Culture War

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

The Playbook

A Story of Theatre, Democracy and the Making of a Culture War

About this book

' GRIPPING AND FIERCELY URGENT.' - FINTAN O'TOOLE
'FASCINATING, TIMELY, AND DEEPLY RESEARCHED.' - THE SPECTATOR
'AN ABSORBING, NECESSARY BOOK.' - AYAD AKHTAR

From the 'Winner of Winners' of the Baillie Gifford Prize, a timely and dramatic story of a utopian American experiment, and the self-serving politicians that engineered its downfall.


1935.
As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's progressive New Deal, the Work Progress Administration is created to support unemployed workers, including writers, artists, musicians and actors. The Federal Theatre Project, a major part of that programme, begins to stage critically acclaimed, subsidised and groundbreaking productions across America, including Orson Welles's directorial debut, a landmark modern dance programme and shows that sought to tell the truth about racism, inequality and the dangers of fascism.

1938. An opportunistic Texas congressman, Martin Dies, head of the newly formed House Un-American Activities Committee, successfully targets the Federal Theatre, exploiting rising tensions over communism and creating a new political playbook based on sensationalism, misinformation and fear - a playbook that has proved instrumental in our current culture wars.

From one of the world's great storytellers, The Playbook is an invigorating re-enactment of a terrifyingly prescient moment in twentieth-century American cultural history.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access The Playbook by James Shapiro in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & North American History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. Landing Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Contents
  6. Preface
  7. Chapter One: Is Marlowe a Communist?
  8. Chapter Two: The Creation of the Federal Theatre
  9. Chapter Three: Macbeth: The First Hit
  10. Chapter Four: It Can’t Happen Here: Going National
  11. Chapter Five: How Long, Brethren?: Radical Dance
  12. Chapter Six: One Third of a Nation: Riling Congress
  13. Chapter Seven: Liberty Deferred: Confronting Racism
  14. Chapter Eight: The Creation of the Dies Committee
  15. Chapter Nine: The Dies Committee v. the Federal Theatre
  16. Chapter Ten: The End of the Federal Theatre
  17. Epilogue
  18. Acknowledgments
  19. Bibliographical Essay
  20. Index
  21. About the Author
  22. Also by James Shapiro
  23. Copyright