ONE THIRD OF A NATION – benefit reading for Puerto Rico relief

Presented by Kit Bix Productions
Free

2605 Hennepin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
United States

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90 minutes
Run Dates

Showtimes:

Start Date
Drama

ONE THIRD OF A NATION – benefit reading for Puerto Rico relief

Monday, Nov. 6 – 7:00 p.m.

Phoenix Theatre

2605 Hennepin Ave.

Minneapolis, MN 55408

Phone: 612-377-2285

http://www.phoenixtheatermpls.org

Tickets available at the door


All proceeds from this event will be donated to Unidos Por Puerto Rico.

 

SOCIAL JUSTICE TAKES THE SPOTLIGHT IN “ONE THIRD OF A NATION” BENEFIT FOR PUERTO RICO RELIEF

 

Kit Bix Productions brings a reading of the social justice play “One Third of a Nation” to the Phoenix Theatre for one night only on Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. The reading of a Living Newspaper play was produced by the Federal Theatre Project in 1938.

 

"One Third of a Nation" was the most successful of the Federal Theatre Project’s “Living Newspaper” series, highlighting timely topics related to social justice concerns. Written by Arthur Arent, along with FTP researchers, the witty and farcical “One Third of a Nation” focused on the problem of housing in the United States, tracing the history of exploitive practices in the US from the colonial era to the dawn of the New Deal. The informal reading of the play follows Phoenix's "Monday Night Mingles" Artists Salon and features some of the actors from last summer's production of "It Can't Happen Here" at Minnesota Fringe as well as Foster Johns, Sheila Regan, Eric Cohen, and other talents.

Written in the same heightened, Frank-Capra-movie period style as FTP play “It Can’t Happen Here”, it shines a light on an important neglected history through a progressive lens. When the FTP came under investigation from Congress for producing politically subversive work, “One Third of a Nation” was one of the shows targeted by the hearing panel. FTP lost its federal funding as a result of the hearings. An example of New Deal propaganda, it's a fascinating glimpse into the period's progressive perspective and its message is still timely. All proceeds from this event are being donated to Unidos Por Puerto Rico.

The title of the play is a quote from one of FDR's State of the Union speeches: "It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure."

Admission is free, but donations for Puerto Rico relief are encouraged. Donations can be made at the door, or at:

https://www.unidosporpuertorico.com.