Dissertation by Garrett Eisler
"This theatre is a battlefield": Political performance and Jewish-American identity, 1933–1948, 2012
My 2012 doctoral dissertation on antifascist and Zionist activism in the Jewish-American Broadway... more My 2012 doctoral dissertation on antifascist and Zionist activism in the Jewish-American Broadway community during the WWII era. Primary focus is on Ben Hecht's propaganda work for the stage on behalf of Jewish causes.
FULL ABSTRACT: This dissertation explores the effect of political performance on Jewish-American cultural identity during the World War II era. With the rise of Hitler, many previously secular and assimilated Jewish theatre and film artists embraced their ethnic heritage and used their work as vehicles for, first, antifascist and, subsequently, Zionist mobilization. This cultural work, I argue, proved instrumental in effecting a postwar shift in Jewish-American identity from assimilation to "hyphenation."
I begin by tracing Jewish artists' involvement in the prewar antifascist activism of the Popular Front. At a time when isolationist sentiment engendered American complacency towards Hitler and when Jewish concerns were marginalized, even demonized, as "warmongering," producing and exhibiting antifascist narratives was difficult. But by exploiting various genres of the popular stage (agitprop, musical satire, social realism) and film (espionage thriller, historical allegory), these artist-activists gradually influenced the public sphere regarding intervention into the European crisis. For many artists who had hitherto masked their Jewish identity (by changing their names, for instance), these projects marked a process of "coming out" that paved the way for greater acceptance of Jewishness in the postwar era.
I then turn to the 1940s to show how, after Pearl Harbor, many of these same Jewish-American artists continued their activism by enthusiastically joining the U.S. war propaganda effort, and, after victory, campaigning for a Jewish state in Palestine. My main focus is on close readings, based on archival research, of three propaganda pageants by the playwright and screenwriter Ben Hecht in collaboration with émigré composer Kurt Weill: Fun to be Free (1941), We Will Never Die (1943), and A Flag is Born (1946). By intervening into public debates over isolationism, America's response to the Holocaust, and the birth of the State of Israel, these works asserted Jewish agency more overtly than anything previously on the American stage. Such cultural work, I argue, anticipated and influenced a postwar shift to a more openly professed Jewish-American identity—something reflected in other cultural products of the era such as the 1947 film, Gentleman's Agreement. As the United States' swift recognition of Israel in 1948 indicated, something had changed in Americans' attitudes towards Jews. This project argues that the work of this Jewish-American "cultural front" throughout the war era was instrumental in bringing that about.
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Publications by Garrett Eisler
New England Theatre Journal, 2016
In April 1933, at the nadir of the Great Depression, the first American production of Brecht and ... more In April 1933, at the nadir of the Great Depression, the first American production of Brecht and Weill's Threepenny Opera was a Broadway flop. Many have attributed the failure to a poor representation of the work. But closer examination reveals a concerted effort to faithfully reproduce the original 1928 Berlin staging and a nuanced critical reception that included many political objections.
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"''Nothing More than Just a Game ': The American Dream Goes Bust in 'Road Show'," The Oxford Hand... more "''Nothing More than Just a Game ': The American Dream Goes Bust in 'Road Show'," The Oxford Handbook of Sondheim Studies (Oxford University Press, 2014)
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American Theatre, 2017
American Theatre Magazine, April 2017. Full title: "The Play Makers: How New American Writing Mak... more American Theatre Magazine, April 2017. Full title: "The Play Makers: How New American Writing Makes It to Broadway"
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Book Review for "American Theatre" Magazine (September 2014)
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Book Review for American Theatre Magazine
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The Eugene O'Neill Review, 2010
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Studies in Musical Theatre, 2006
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Illuminations , 2017
From Oregon Shakespeare Festival's "Illuminations" magazine. ("Illuminations: A Guide to the 2017... more From Oregon Shakespeare Festival's "Illuminations" magazine. ("Illuminations: A Guide to the 2017 Plays.")
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Illuminations
From Oregon Shakespeare Festival's "Illuminations" magazine. ("Illuminations: A Guide to the 2016... more From Oregon Shakespeare Festival's "Illuminations" magazine. ("Illuminations: A Guide to the 2016 Plays.")
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Illuminations
From Oregon Shakespeare Festival's "Illuminations" magazine. ("Illuminations: A Guide to the 2016... more From Oregon Shakespeare Festival's "Illuminations" magazine. ("Illuminations: A Guide to the 2016 Plays.")
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American Theatre, 2019
"How three American showbiz figures reclaimed their Jewishness in a time of crisis and redefined ... more "How three American showbiz figures reclaimed their Jewishness in a time of crisis and redefined it in the popular imagination."
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From American Theatre magazine, July/August 2013
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American Theatre, Mar 2010
March 2010 article for American Theatre magazine, interviewing directors Bartlett Sher and Daniel... more March 2010 article for American Theatre magazine, interviewing directors Bartlett Sher and Daniel Fish about their recent revivals of plays by Clifford Odets ("Awake and Sing," "Rocket to the Moon," and "Paradise Lost").
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Stage Directions, Sep 2008
2008 profile of The Civilians for "Stage Directions" magazine previewing two productions: "Paris ... more 2008 profile of The Civilians for "Stage Directions" magazine previewing two productions: "Paris Commune" and "This Beautiful City."
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Theatre Survey, 2006
Theatre Journal Copyright © 2005 by The Johns Hopkins University Press. All rights reserved. Thea... more Theatre Journal Copyright © 2005 by The Johns Hopkins University Press. All rights reserved. Theatre Journal 57.1 (2005) 140-141, ...
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Theatre Survey, 2006
... The young Brando in these pages is the one who just might have re-sponded, for he had not yet... more ... The young Brando in these pages is the one who just might have re-sponded, for he had not yet succumbed to the haunting malady ... skit's disco-beat, bring-'em-to-their-feet, show-stopping musical finale: You can always depend on the kindness of strangers, To buck up your ...
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New York Theater Review, 2007
Essay on the cancellation of "My Name is Rachel Corrie" at New York Theatre Workshop, 2006. From ... more Essay on the cancellation of "My Name is Rachel Corrie" at New York Theatre Workshop, 2006. From New York Theatre Review 2007.
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Dissertation by Garrett Eisler
FULL ABSTRACT: This dissertation explores the effect of political performance on Jewish-American cultural identity during the World War II era. With the rise of Hitler, many previously secular and assimilated Jewish theatre and film artists embraced their ethnic heritage and used their work as vehicles for, first, antifascist and, subsequently, Zionist mobilization. This cultural work, I argue, proved instrumental in effecting a postwar shift in Jewish-American identity from assimilation to "hyphenation."
I begin by tracing Jewish artists' involvement in the prewar antifascist activism of the Popular Front. At a time when isolationist sentiment engendered American complacency towards Hitler and when Jewish concerns were marginalized, even demonized, as "warmongering," producing and exhibiting antifascist narratives was difficult. But by exploiting various genres of the popular stage (agitprop, musical satire, social realism) and film (espionage thriller, historical allegory), these artist-activists gradually influenced the public sphere regarding intervention into the European crisis. For many artists who had hitherto masked their Jewish identity (by changing their names, for instance), these projects marked a process of "coming out" that paved the way for greater acceptance of Jewishness in the postwar era.
I then turn to the 1940s to show how, after Pearl Harbor, many of these same Jewish-American artists continued their activism by enthusiastically joining the U.S. war propaganda effort, and, after victory, campaigning for a Jewish state in Palestine. My main focus is on close readings, based on archival research, of three propaganda pageants by the playwright and screenwriter Ben Hecht in collaboration with émigré composer Kurt Weill: Fun to be Free (1941), We Will Never Die (1943), and A Flag is Born (1946). By intervening into public debates over isolationism, America's response to the Holocaust, and the birth of the State of Israel, these works asserted Jewish agency more overtly than anything previously on the American stage. Such cultural work, I argue, anticipated and influenced a postwar shift to a more openly professed Jewish-American identity—something reflected in other cultural products of the era such as the 1947 film, Gentleman's Agreement. As the United States' swift recognition of Israel in 1948 indicated, something had changed in Americans' attitudes towards Jews. This project argues that the work of this Jewish-American "cultural front" throughout the war era was instrumental in bringing that about.
Publications by Garrett Eisler
FULL ABSTRACT: This dissertation explores the effect of political performance on Jewish-American cultural identity during the World War II era. With the rise of Hitler, many previously secular and assimilated Jewish theatre and film artists embraced their ethnic heritage and used their work as vehicles for, first, antifascist and, subsequently, Zionist mobilization. This cultural work, I argue, proved instrumental in effecting a postwar shift in Jewish-American identity from assimilation to "hyphenation."
I begin by tracing Jewish artists' involvement in the prewar antifascist activism of the Popular Front. At a time when isolationist sentiment engendered American complacency towards Hitler and when Jewish concerns were marginalized, even demonized, as "warmongering," producing and exhibiting antifascist narratives was difficult. But by exploiting various genres of the popular stage (agitprop, musical satire, social realism) and film (espionage thriller, historical allegory), these artist-activists gradually influenced the public sphere regarding intervention into the European crisis. For many artists who had hitherto masked their Jewish identity (by changing their names, for instance), these projects marked a process of "coming out" that paved the way for greater acceptance of Jewishness in the postwar era.
I then turn to the 1940s to show how, after Pearl Harbor, many of these same Jewish-American artists continued their activism by enthusiastically joining the U.S. war propaganda effort, and, after victory, campaigning for a Jewish state in Palestine. My main focus is on close readings, based on archival research, of three propaganda pageants by the playwright and screenwriter Ben Hecht in collaboration with émigré composer Kurt Weill: Fun to be Free (1941), We Will Never Die (1943), and A Flag is Born (1946). By intervening into public debates over isolationism, America's response to the Holocaust, and the birth of the State of Israel, these works asserted Jewish agency more overtly than anything previously on the American stage. Such cultural work, I argue, anticipated and influenced a postwar shift to a more openly professed Jewish-American identity—something reflected in other cultural products of the era such as the 1947 film, Gentleman's Agreement. As the United States' swift recognition of Israel in 1948 indicated, something had changed in Americans' attitudes towards Jews. This project argues that the work of this Jewish-American "cultural front" throughout the war era was instrumental in bringing that about.