one-third of a nation

8/9/2019 One-third of a Nation

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Production

One-Third of a Nation is a Living Newspaper written by Arthur Arent that was

produced by The Federal Theater Project in 1938 !t was the Living Newspaper"s #i#th

$roadway production The play opened during the wee% o# &anuary 1'th at the Adelphi

Theatre in New (or% )ity on *+th ,treet and ,eventh Avenue One-Third of a Nation is a

co--entary on the housing crisis and the growth o# slu-s in New (or% )ity #ro- the

years 18'. to 1938 The play opens with a reenact-ent o# the 19/+ tene-ent #ire at 39'

0adison ,treet An investigation o# the #ire brings about uestions o# housing laws and

the conditions o# tene-ent housing The play goes on to show various s%etches o#

characters living in sualor and trying to #ind a place to live The play is a -i2 o# history

lessons personal stories real li#e events and political legislation all #or the purpose o#

educating the audience on the living conditions in tene-ent housing

The play is written in the #or-at o# a history lesson as well as a protest The

in#or-ation presented throughout the play is based on research that was pulled together

and #or-ed by the 4ditorial ,ta## o# the Living Newspaper 0ost o# the scenes are based

on #actual in#or-ation and real li#e events depicting the horrors o# the housing crisi in

New (or% )ity There are co-edic -o-ents but the story is -ostly a tragic one with

displays o# death disease cri-e and sualor The technical aspects o# the show were

very innovative #or theatre at the ti-e The character o# the narrator is heard through

voice5overs throughout the entire show As the character o# the Little 0an travels #ro-

year to year a screen appears with projections o# the -ap o# New (or% )ity #or that

particular year The use o# s-o%e sound and lighting e##ects all add to the technical

innovativeness o# the production



$ecause the play is -ade up o# a hand#ul o# s%its there are -any characters in the

story that are used to represent the population in New (or% )ity #ro- the year 18'. to

1938 ,o-e o# the characters include the narrator the little -an the landowner and

various i--igrant #a-ilies The character o# the Little 0an travels #ro- century to

century observing the deteriorating conditions o# tene-ent housing and at ti-es steps out

o# the story to co--ent on the action being played The voice o# the Living Newspaper

an invisible narrator co--ents on the plays happenings and provides that audience with

in#or-ation and conte2t This character is occasionally in dialogue with other characters

and -oves the story along through the use o# voice5overs

There was a de#inite political -otive o# the Federal Theatre Project to produce

One Third of a Nation 6uring this ti-e in the Federal Theatre Projects e2istence

housing was a -ajor proble- in -etropolitan cities The subject o# housing was o# great

i-portance and popularity in the newspapers as govern-ent legislations were being

dra#ted and social groups were wor%ing towards approaching the subject o# slu-

clearance and housing projects The play was a protest o# the living conditions in the

tene-ents The character o# the Little 0an calls the audience to action and urges the

people to %eep #ighting the govern-ent until housing condition laws are #i2ed The #irst

production o# One-Third of a nation was o# great i-portance and relevance because it

was produced at a ti-e when the national housing #ield was #illing the attention o#

-etropolitan areas The production and staging o# this Living Newspaper indicates the

strength o# the Federal Theatre Project in 1938

The -ost i-portant ele-ent o# the play is the character o# the Little 0an 7e is

so-eone who co-es #ro- a lower class without -uch -oney and who is constantly



trying to #ind a place #or hi- and his wi#e to live This character is a spectator throughout

the entire play observing and uestioning all that is happening around hi- with no social

power #or change As the story plays out the Little 0an beco-es the character o# the

protagonist who urges the audience #or social action and change 7e is one o# the people

and is in direct co--unication with the audience throughout the play 7e per#or-s the

role that the Living Newspaper was -eant to play in society with his use o# social

co--entary

One-Third of a Nation was a visual pheno-enon #or the stage at that ti-e as well

as an in#or-ative Living Newspaper The set design was co-posed o# a #our5story

tene-ent This set piece was used #or interior scenes as well e2terior scenes -ost notably

the opening and closing scene where the tene-ent was lit on #ire The play was written

with very speci#ic stage directions to set up clear physical pictures #or the audience The

visual aspects o# the show were very i-portant #or getting the political -essage across

The audience"s visualiation o# the :ld Law; tene-ents and slu-s was a vital aesthetic

ele-ent to the political -essage o# the Living Newspaper The way the play was set5up

and directed was in a way that showed the ever5growing population in the city The stage

was overcrowded which allowed the audience to e2perience the #eeling o# the -assive

population living in New (or% )ity all struggling to #ind a place to live The dialogue

was written as a series o# historical #acts and political co--ents in order to educate the

audience in the -ost accurate and legiti-ate way possible about the devastations o# the

housing crisis The play is structured as a social co--entary in order to #ul#ill the

purpose o# what The Living Newspaper was -eant to do !t is a political and social call

#or the people to ta%e action against the govern-ent and the writing in the play does this



by providing all the historical #acts about the situation o# the housing crisis and the poor

conditions o# the tene-ents Living newspapers were staged and dra-atied news and

propoganda but One-Third of a Nation beca-e %nown as a piece o# vibrant theatre in the

New (or% stage scene

The script allowed #or the #reedo- to per#or- the play in any city that was

e2periencing a housing crisis because the proble-s e2posed were relevant to so -any

people A#ter New (or%"s pre-ier o# One-Third of a Nation nine other cities went on to

produce the popular Living Newspaper about housing The script states that the Living

Newspaper and the Federal Theatre Project"s hope was #or One-Third of a Nation to be

the basis #or -any presentations in local co--unities; !t is set in New (or% )ity but the

script gives per-ission to change the na-es o# locations and cities in order #or the play to

be produced #or all the nation;

<or%s )ited

Arent Arthur One-Third of a Nation =ol 1 New (or% )ity> National ,ervice $ureau

1938 The Library o# )ongress

?uthu ,arah @Living Newspapers> :ne5Third o# the Nation@ The ?reat 6epression in

<ashington ,tate /..9

http>BBdeptswashingtoneduBdepressBtheaterCartsClivingCnewspaperConethirdsht

-lD

Vacha, John E. The Federal Theatre's Living Newspapers: New York's

Docudramas Of The Thirties. New York History 67.1 (1986): 66-

88. !erica: History an" #i$e with %&'' et. *e+. 1 ay /10.

one-third of a nation

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