Transcript THEATRE_IN_THE_1950S - NYCLit

THEATRE IN THE 1950S
By Carmen Berkeley,Miranda Fayne,
Catherine Kenny, and Phoebe
Vandusen
Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy the Show!
In the 1950s, New York was a buzz with new theatrical talent
and possibility. Many aspects and forms of theatre were
coming to light; Children's Theatre, as well as
College/University Theatre gave young people a chance to try
it out and experience the thrill that is expressing yourself
through acting.
Even Through Hard Times...
World War II and the Great Depression both ended in the
1940s, during which time there was a drop in the number of
Broadway shows being produced, and the spirit of the Theatre
was coming to an abrupt halt. Fortunately, a wealthy man
named Lee Shubert bought a number of Broadway theatres, in
order to save them from being demolished and to save
Broadway from disappearing all together. The 1950s was all
about the aftermath of this and recovering from the
prejudices and poverty brought on in the past several
decades.
Theatre's Impact on Society
Theatre played a significant role in the growth of society's
acceptance of the low class and of the minorities. OffBroadway productions, such as Leave it to Jane and Little
Mary Sunshine became popular, along with Community
Theatre, allowing for New Yorkers besides just the rich and
well-connected to attend plays and musicals.
Continued...
The Theatre was no longer just a place for the high class, and
being an actor was not just the white man's job
anymore; more and more parts were being written for
African-American characters, meaning more job opportunities
for the black population and a better chance for integration.
Plays
There were many monumental theatrical works written and
preformed in the 1950's such as Come Back Little Sheba , The
Crucible, Summer and Smoke, The Bad Seed, and many more.
These plays shaped American Theatre of today. A play, unlike
an actor or director, is timeless. It can be interpreted in many
different ways at any time -- That is the magic of the written
word.
Important Plays of the 1950S
Summer and Smoke
Important Plays of the 1950s cont...
The Crucible
Important Plays of the 1950s cont...
Come Back, Litte Sheba
Play Wrights
Tennessee
Williams
Arthur
Miller
William
Inge
Tony Award Winning Actors of the 50s
Sidney Blackmer (50.......Come Back, Little Sheba
Claude Rains (51).........Darkness at Noon
Jose Ferrer (52).........The Shrike
Tom Ewell (53)............The Seven Year Itch
David Wayne (54)..........The Teahouse of the August Moon
Alfred Lunt (55)..........Quadrille
Paul Muni (56)............Inherit the Wind
Fredric March (57)........Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Ralph Bellamy (58)........Sunrise at Campobello
Jason Robards Jr. (59)....The Disenchanted
Shirley Booth (50).........Come Back, Little Sheba
Uta Hagen (51).............The Country Girl
Julie Harris (52)..........I am a Camera
Shirley Booth (53).........Time of the Cuckoo
Audrey Hepburn (54)........Ondine
Nancy Kelly (55)...........The Bad Seed
Julie Harris (56)..........The Lark
Margaret Leighton (57).....Separate Tables
Helen Hayes (58)...........Time Remembered
Gertrude Berg (59).........A Majority of One
Works Consulted
Miranda:
Dirks, Arthur L. "Postwar Change." American Theatre History.
26 Feb. 2012
<http://webhost.bridgew.edu/adirks/ald/courses/hist/hist_A
mer.htm>
Kenrik, John. "Best of Times, Worst of Times." Theatre in New
York: A Brief History. 26 Feb.
2012.<http://www.musicals101.com/bwaythhist4.htm>
Rusie, Robert. "A Bright Golden Haze." Talkin' Broadway. 28
Feb. 2012.
<http://www.talkinbroadway.com/bway101/6.html>
Works Consulted Cont.
Phoebe:
Note: Used some of Carmen's sources because working on the playwright's
works
DTASC Handbook September 2008
http://www.cetoweb.org/DTASC_Handbook_9_06/H_Appendices/H1_Lists_of
_Plays_9_08.pdf
"Tennessee Williams Biography". Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 23
Feb. 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/tennessee-williams9532952>.
"William Ralph Inge Biography". Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 25
Feb. 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/william-ralph-inge-9349297>.
"Come Back, Little Sheeba". Enotes.com. Web. Feb 28. 2012.
<http://www.enotes.com/come-back>.
Works Consulted Cont.
Carmen:
"Tennessee Williams Biography". Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web.
29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/tennessee-williams9532952>.
"Arthur Miller Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 29
Feb. 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/arthur-miller9408335?page=2>.
"William Ralph Inge Biography". Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web.
29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/william-ralph-inge9349297>.
"Picnic". Enotes.com. Enotes.com. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.enotes.com/picnic/author-biography>.
Works Consulted Cont.
Catherine:
Broadwayworld.com. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2012
<http://www2.broadwayworld.com/tonyawardsyear.cfm?year=1950>
"Alfred Lunt." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0526795/bio>.
"Quadrille (play)." Wikipedia.com. Wikipedia, 12 Feb. 2012. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrille_(play)>.
"Nancy Kelly." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0446715/bio>.
"Fredric March." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0545298/bio>.
"Long Day's Journey into Night." SparkNotes. SparkNotes. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/longdays/summary.html>.
Works Consulted Cont.
"Long Day's Journey into Night." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27
Feb. 2012. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Day's_Journey_into_Night>.
"Margaret Leighton Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web.
29 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.biography.com/people/margaret-leighton-9378333>.
"Separate Tables." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Feb. 2012. Web.
29 Feb. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separate_Tables>