American Labor on Stage: Dramatic Interpretations of the Steel and Textile Industries in the 1930s

(Hardback)

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This study reclaims a lost body of theatrical work by focusing on four labor plays of the 1930s. These works dramatize union organizing efforts in American industry, using documentary detail in the dialogue and plot. To date, little attention has been given to the use of documentary detail in American scripts. Placing the labor plays in a social and historical context, Duffy raises interesting questions about the depiction of women as labor leaders and the overlooked role of women playwrights in the 1920s and 30s. The discussion focuses on the function of the plays and the question of whether they were merely didactic or if they served greater propagandistic ends. This work will be of interest to scholars in theatre history, American studies, southern history, and American labor history.

Reviews

Duffy's work is a specialized book about leftist theater production....Her examination provides a fascinating look at two industries not usually depicted on the stage. The significance of these plays lies in their thematic treatment of American labor and their uniquely American production style. Specialized texts on this period are hard to find, and this book reveals the commitment and sincerity of an artistic movement that championed American labor. Recommended for college and university libraries supporting studies of 20th-century theater and social history.-Choice
"Duffy's work is a specialized book about leftist theater production....Her examination provides a fascinating look at two industries not usually depicted on the stage. The significance of these plays lies in their thematic treatment of American labor and their uniquely American production style. Specialized texts on this period are hard to find, and this book reveals the commitment and sincerity of an artistic movement that championed American labor. Recommended for college and university libraries supporting studies of 20th-century theater and social history."-Choice

Author Bio

SUSAN DUFFY is Professor of Speech Communication at California Polytechnic State University. Her research interests focus on propagandistic uses of the theatre by leftist groups in the 1920s-1940s. She has published Shirley Chisholm: A Bibliography of Writings By and About Her (1988), and The Political Left in the American Theatre of the 1930's: A Bibliographic Sourcebook (1992).