Philadelphia's 'Negro Unit' of the Federal Theatre Project: A Conversation
06/03/22 • 65 min
An interview/conversation with Jonathan Shandell, the author of a January 2022 article in the journal Theater History Studies entitled "Caricatured, Marginalized, Betrayed". The article examines the history of the Philadelphia "Negro Unit" of the Federal Theatre Project in the 1930s - specifically the history of three plays produced by the FTP at the Walnut Street Theatre.
You can read more about Jonathan on his website: https://jonathan.shandell.us/home
Also in the conversation in Jerrell Henderson, a theater director, puppeteer and teacher currently living in Chicago. A native Philadelphian, he has devoted much time to studying and writing about musical theater, especially Black musical theater. He is the curator and creator of black_theatre-vinyl_archive on Instagram. https://www.jerrell-henderson.com/
For a blog post on our website, with images from the productions we discuss in the episode:
https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/jericho-one-third-of-a-nation-and-prelude-to-swing/
On Sunday, June 29th, the author and podcaster Peter Schmitz will be appearing at the Brookline Books stall at the 2025 American Library Association annual conference and exhibition at the Philadelphia Convention Center.
If you’re a librarian - or a fan of libraries - and are coming to the ALA in Philly this year, please be sure to stop by and say hello!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK can be ordered from independent bookstores and at all online book retailers now!
To order our book via Bookshop.org - GO HERE
Our website: www.aithpodcast.com
Our email address: [email protected]
Bluesky: @aithpodcast.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AITHpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aithpodcast/
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AITHpodcast© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.
℗ All original voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
An interview/conversation with Jonathan Shandell, the author of a January 2022 article in the journal Theater History Studies entitled "Caricatured, Marginalized, Betrayed". The article examines the history of the Philadelphia "Negro Unit" of the Federal Theatre Project in the 1930s - specifically the history of three plays produced by the FTP at the Walnut Street Theatre.
You can read more about Jonathan on his website: https://jonathan.shandell.us/home
Also in the conversation in Jerrell Henderson, a theater director, puppeteer and teacher currently living in Chicago. A native Philadelphian, he has devoted much time to studying and writing about musical theater, especially Black musical theater. He is the curator and creator of black_theatre-vinyl_archive on Instagram. https://www.jerrell-henderson.com/
For a blog post on our website, with images from the productions we discuss in the episode:
https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/jericho-one-third-of-a-nation-and-prelude-to-swing/
On Sunday, June 29th, the author and podcaster Peter Schmitz will be appearing at the Brookline Books stall at the 2025 American Library Association annual conference and exhibition at the Philadelphia Convention Center.
If you’re a librarian - or a fan of libraries - and are coming to the ALA in Philly this year, please be sure to stop by and say hello!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK can be ordered from independent bookstores and at all online book retailers now!
To order our book via Bookshop.org - GO HERE
Our website: www.aithpodcast.com
Our email address: [email protected]
Bluesky: @aithpodcast.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AITHpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aithpodcast/
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AITHpodcast© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.
℗ All original voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Previous Episode
Interview: Mary B. Robinson
January 1990: The appointment of Mary B. Robinson as the new Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Drama Guild is announced, taking over from outgoing Artistic Director Gregory Poggi.
In the fall of 2021, Mary Robinson sat down for a talk with Adventures in Theater History. It was also the first time she had publicly discussed her four-and-a-half year long tenure at the Drama Guild in since 1995. We also talked about the many shows she subsequently directed at the Philadelphia Theatre Company.
The first of a planned series of many interviews with historically important Philadelphia theater artists and scholars, we are proud to bring you this fascinating hour-long recorded conversation. Enjoy!
For a blog post with some images of productions from Philadelphia Drama Guild in the 1990s, go here.
On Sunday, June 29th, the author and podcaster Peter Schmitz will be appearing at the Brookline Books stall at the 2025 American Library Association annual conference and exhibition at the Philadelphia Convention Center.
If you’re a librarian - or a fan of libraries - and are coming to the ALA in Philly this year, please be sure to stop by and say hello!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK can be ordered from independent bookstores and at all online book retailers now!
To order our book via Bookshop.org - GO HERE
Our website: www.aithpodcast.com
Our email address: [email protected]
Bluesky: @aithpodcast.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AITHpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aithpodcast/
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AITHpodcast© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.
℗ All original voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Next Episode
Life & Death in the Theater: More 19th Century Stories
As an addendum to Season One, here are six more stories of 19th C. Philadelphia theater. We discuss Alexander Reinagle, Joseph Jefferson III, James Murdoch, Matilda Heron, John McCullough - as well as two stagehands at the Walnut Street Theater you likely never heard of before, but may never forget!
To see images and more information about today's subjects, see the blog post on our podcast's web page:
https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/back-to-the-19th-century/
On Sunday, June 29th, the author and podcaster Peter Schmitz will be appearing at the Brookline Books stall at the 2025 American Library Association annual conference and exhibition at the Philadelphia Convention Center.
If you’re a librarian - or a fan of libraries - and are coming to the ALA in Philly this year, please be sure to stop by and say hello!
"Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" the BOOK can be ordered from independent bookstores and at all online book retailers now!
To order our book via Bookshop.org - GO HERE
Our website: www.aithpodcast.com
Our email address: [email protected]
Bluesky: @aithpodcast.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AITHpodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aithpodcast/
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AITHpodcast© Podcast text copyright, Peter Schmitz. All rights reserved.
℗ All original voice recordings copyright Peter Schmitz.
℗ All original music copyright Christopher Mark Colucci. Used by permission.
Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia - Philadelphia's 'Negro Unit' of the Federal Theatre Project: A Conversation
Transcript
Peter Schmitz
Hello everyone, and welcome to Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia.
We are continuing with our series of interviews with members of the Philadelphia Theatre community, with people who have historic involvement in the Philadelphia theater community, and with professional historians who have researched the Philadelphia Theatre community.
So, our first guest today is Jonathan Shandell. Hello, Jonathan.
Jonathan Shandel
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