THE PLAYBOOK

Tremendous DAVID HARE An absorbing necessary book AHAD AKHTAR Fascinating and energising FINANCIAL TIMES From the Winner of Winners of the Baillie Gifford Prize a timely and dramatic story of a utopian American experiment and the self serving politicians that engineered its downfall In 1935 the American public was presented with a radical opportunity Established under President Franklin D Roosevelt s New Deal the Federal Theatre Project would employ 12 000 artists writers and actors stage more than 1 000 productions and reach over 30 million people Its output included Orson Welles directorial debut a landmark modern dance programme and shows that sought to shed light on the reality of racism inequality and the dangers of fascism But within three years an opportunistic Texas congressman had embarked on a campaign to destroy it inventing a playbook that echoes into the culture wars of today From one of the world s great storytellers The Playbook is an illuminating account of a terrifyingly prescient moment in twentieth century American cultural history