More than entertainment: The American Theatre Wing during World War II.
Item
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Title
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More than entertainment: The American Theatre Wing during World War II.
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Identifier
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AAI3047257
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identifier
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3047257
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Creator
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Roarty, Robert Charles.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Judith Milhous
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Date
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2002
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Theater
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Abstract
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Shortly after the start of the Second World War, a group of women associated with the American theatre dedicated themselves to helping the victims of the European conflict. To accomplish their humanitarian goals, they created the American Theatre Wing War Service, a privately funded war relief agency. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the United States's entry into the war as an active combatant, the organization refocused its efforts on programs designed to aid America and its people as they waged a two-front war. The American Theatre Wing established programs that provided entertainment and comfort to the armed services of the Allied nations, both in the United States and overseas. It also worked closely with government and other agencies to bring war-related propaganda to the men, women, and children on the home front.;The various contributions made to the war effort by the women and men of the theatrical industry through this organization have, for the most part, been overlooked by both social and theatre historians. This paper catalogues the major programs established by the Theatre Wing, and includes details on both its entertainment and propagandistic efforts. This study further attempts to interpret the Wing's endeavors in terms of the larger social, political, and economic forces at work in the nation during the war.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
