American Theatre Development

The Development of American Theater, from the 1940’s to Modern Day.

Throughout history, theatre has been a way for mankind to express what is going on in the world, whether this means reenactments of dramatic moments in time, the stories of someone’s personal struggles, or a performance representative of the era in which it was created. Theatre history has existed for thousands of years, beginning with its start in Greece around the 3rd century. Since then, it has spread to many more countries, and is a thriving source of modern entertainment! Because of how much rich history is involved with theatre, this paper will be focusing on the developments in American theatre from the 1940’s to modern day. Even within the past 70 years, American theatre

The nation was still recovering from the Great Depression, the attack on Pearl Harbor had happened, and the United States was entering World War II. These problems were causing countless problems throughout the nation, and the theatre industry was far from spared. The budget for theatrical productions was incredibly low, as the current financial problems made it harder for people to afford the shows. However, as John Steinbeck once said, “The theater is the only institution in the world which has been dying for four thousand years and has never succumbed. It requires tough and devoted people to keep it alive.”. (Steinbeck)

Theatres began to try and find a new way to bring back the crowds, and decided to create show that would attract an audience, amuse them, and find a way to help people forget about all of the issues currently facing the country. This show was the legendary Oklahoma!, and even the production of such a performance was a bold, risk-taking decision (Mroczka

In American theatre, however, the 1950’s carried on the glory and success that was the “Golden Days.” One of the famous, notable plays from this decade was West Side Story, which was released in 1957. This performance became well known for its drama, excitement, and incredible music. Additionally, it was seen as being somewhat brash in language; for example, one scene featured the phrase “brass ass” (Fishko, 16). This is an interesting point to compare the changes in theatrical performances, as modern shows would not hesitate to include eve typically avoided four-letter-words. In addition to that, the play included darker, more dramatic themes and scenes that included murder, rape, bigotry, and other violent elements that were practically unheard of for musical theatre (Fishko,