​It’s the 90th Anniversary of the WPA’s Federal Theatre Project and we’re celebrating with a poster exhibit at Act II Playhouse – our long-time creative partner for which we designs production promotional material.

See the “Theatre for the People” poster exhibit in the lobby of Act II Playhouse. Celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the WPA Federal Theatre Project.
 
 WHEN: Aug 8th – Sept 7th, 2025
 HOURS: Mon-Sat 2pm – 6pm
 WHERE: Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave. Ambler, PA 19002

THE FEDERAL THEATRE PROJECT
Launched in August 1935 as part of FDR’s New Deal, the Federal Theatre Project (FTP) put thousands of theatre artists back to work during the Great Depression. For four years, the FTP produced affordable performances for over 30 million people across the U.S.—tackling urgent issues such as poverty, labor rights, and racism.

​While the program lasted only four years, its impact was profound. It democratized the arts and laid the groundwork for future public investment in culture. Many alumni went on to shape American theater, film, and television for decades to come, including Orson Welles, John Houseman, Eugene O’Neill, and Mary Chase.

Another poster that we've never seen before! This poster is not catalogued in the Library of Congress, so this addition brings our total in the virtual comprehensive archive up to 2269!

"It Can't Happen Here is a 1935 dystopian political novel by American author Sinclair Lewis. Set in a fictionalized version of the 1930s United States, it follows an American politician, Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, who quickly rises to power to become the country's first outright dictator (in allusion to Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Nazi Germany), and Doremus Jessup, a newspaper editor who sees Windrip's fascist policies for what they are ahead of time and who becomes Windrip's most ardent critic. The novel was adapted into a play by Lewis and John C. Moffitt in 1936." from Wikipedia entry

The WPA Federal Theatre Project across the country staged this play. There are many posters that have been catalogued because they are in the Library of Congress, but this is new to us and not on record anywhere that we can find.

This brings our comprehensive total poster designs found up to 2268!

This is an important and timeless message, especially now, during the U.S. election season!

We've never seen this WPA poster for music classes from the Federal Music Project in New York City.

It's not catalogued by the Library of Congress. ⁠So, this brings our total on the virtual archive up to 2267!!!⁠
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Help us celebrate by taking a look at this beauty. All of this type would have been done by hand and carefully cut out for #screenprinting⁠

Emily Scott recently interviewed her Grandpa Sidney Schnall for his 94th birthday about his childhood memories of Crotona Park. As a young boy, Sidney spent his summer days at the pool, which was opened in 1936. Crotona Park and all of its recreation areas in the Bronx, NY were built as part of WPA public projects from 1935-1938.

Watch this short for Sidney's memories at "Indian Pond" during Rosh Hashanah.