Student Showcase
Performing History: The Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939 
Saturday, May 3, 2025 at noon
Artis Center Performing Arts Hub
Radford University
801 East Main Street, Radford, VA
Free admission. No ticket required

The year 2025 marks the 90th anniversary of the creation of the Federal Theatre Project, a program within the Works Progress Administration, established to actively respond to the economic challenges of the Great Depression.  

A special hands-on course offered simultaneously by the Virginia Tech and Radford University Theatre departments gave students the opportunity to examine the socio-political and artistic impact of this federally funded program that put theatre artists to work across the country. Students collaborated across campuses to explore the topic through a range of primary and secondary source material, including plays, speeches, news articles, and photographs. 

This special collaboration will culminate in a hybrid final project: short, devised works by students posted online (a new section of https://performinghistory.com  will be dedicated to this project) and an in-person showcase performed by the combined classes.