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{{Short description|Theater collective in New York City, US}}
{{refimprove|date=August 2013}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2013}}
{{infobox theatre group
{{Infobox theatre group
| name = Group Theatre
| name = Group Theatre
| image = Group Theater - Pinebrook.jpg
| image = Group Theater - Pinebrook.jpg
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| location = [[New York City]]
| location = [[New York City]]
| disbanded = 1941
| disbanded = 1941
| members =

| notable = {{Plainlist|
*[[Luther Adler]]
*[[Stella Adler]]
*[[Robert Ardrey]]
*[[Marc Blitzstein]]
*[[Roman Bohnen]]
*[[Phoebe Brand]]
*[[Joseph Bromberg]]
*[[Morris Carnovsky]]
*[[Lee J. Cobb]]
*[[Howard da Silva]]
*[[Leif Erickson (actor)|Leif Erickson]]
*[[Frances Farmer]]
*[[John Garfield]]
*[[Will Geer]]
*[[Michael Gordon (film director)|Michael Gordon]]
*[[Paul Green (playwright)|Paul Green]]
*[[Elia Kazan]]
*[[Canada Lee]]
*[[Robert Lewis (actor)|Robert Lewis]]
*[[Eleanor Lynn]]
*[[Karl Malden]]
*[[Sanford Meisner]]
*[[Harry Morgan]]
*[[Ruth Nelson (actress)|Ruth Nelson]]
*[[Clifford Odets]]
*[[John Randolph (actor)|John Randolph]]
*[[Don Richardson (director)|Don Richardson]]
*[[Martin Ritt]]
*[[Irwin Shaw]]
*[[Anna Sokolow]]
*[[Paul Strand]]
*[[Franchot Tone]]
}}
}}
}}
}}
The '''Group Theatre''' was a theater collective based in New York City and formed in 1931 by [[Harold Clurman]], [[Cheryl Crawford]] and [[Lee Strasberg]].<ref name="fervent">{{cite book |last=Clurman |first=Harold |title=The Fervent Years: the Group Theatre and the Thirties |year=1983
The '''Group Theatre''' was a theater collective based in New York City and formed in 1931 by [[Harold Clurman]], [[Cheryl Crawford]] and [[Lee Strasberg]].<ref name="fervent">{{cite book |last=Clurman |first=Harold |title=The Fervent Years: the Group Theatre and the Thirties |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=1983 |isbn=9780306801860 |location=New York}}</ref> It was intended as a base for the kind of theatre they and their colleagues believed in&mdash;a forceful, naturalistic and highly disciplined artistry. They were pioneers of what would become an "American acting technique", derived from the teachings of [[Konstantin Stanislavski]], but pushed beyond them as well. The company included actors, directors, playwrights, and producers. The name "Group" came from the idea of the actors as a pure [[Ensemble cast|ensemble]]; a reference to the company as "our group" led them to "accept the inevitable and call their company The Group Theatre."<ref name="Clurman, p. 51">Clurman, p. 51</ref>
|publisher=Da Capo Press |location=New York}}</ref> It was intended as a base for the kind of theatre they and their colleagues believed in&mdash; a forceful, naturalistic and highly disciplined artistry. They were pioneers of what would become an "American acting technique", derived from the teachings of [[Konstantin Stanislavski]], but pushed beyond them as well. The company included actors, directors, playwrights, and producers. The name "Group" came from the idea of the actors as a pure [[Ensemble cast|ensemble]]; a reference to the company as "our group" led them to "accept the inevitable and call their company The Group Theatre."<ref name="Clurman, p. 51">Clurman, p. 51</ref>


The New York-based Group Theatre had no connection with the identically named [[Group Theatre (London)|Group Theatre]] based in London and founded in 1932.
The New York–based Group Theatre had no connection with the identically named [[Group Theatre (London)|Group Theatre]] based in London and founded in 1932.


In the 10 years of its existence, the Group Theatre produced works by many important American [[playwright]]s, most notably [[Clifford Odets]] and [[Irwin Shaw]]. Its most successful production was the 1937–38 Broadway hit ''[[Golden Boy (play)|Golden Boy]]'', starring [[Luther Adler]] and [[Frances Farmer]].
In the ten years of its existence, the Group Theatre produced works by many important American [[playwright]]s, including [[Clifford Odets]], [[Sidney Kingsley]], [[Paul Green (playwright)|Paul Green]], [[Robert Ardrey]], and [[Irwin Shaw]]. Its most notable productions included ''[[Success Story (play)|Success Story]]'' starring [[Stella Adler]] and [[Luther Adler]], Clifford Odets' ''[[Awake and Sing]]'', ''[[Waiting for Lefty]]'', ''[[Paradise Lost (play)|Paradise Lost]]'', and the 1937–38 Broadway hit ''[[Golden Boy (play)|Golden Boy]]'', starring [[Luther Adler]] and [[Frances Farmer]].


The Group included [[Elia Kazan]], [[Harold Clurman]], [[Harry Morgan]] (billed as Harry Bratsburg), [[Stella Adler]] (a founding member), [[Robert Lewis (actor)|Robert Lewis]], [[John Garfield]] (billed as Jules Garfield), [[Canada Lee]], [[Franchot Tone]], [[Frances Farmer]], [[Phoebe Brand]], [[Ruth Nelson (actress)|Ruth Nelson]], [[Will Geer]], [[Howard Da Silva]], [[John Randolph (actor)|John Randolph]], [[Joseph Bromberg]], [[Michael Gordon (film director)|Michael Gordon]], [[Paul Green (playwright)|Paul Green]], [[Clifford Odets]], [[Paul Strand]], [[Morris Carnovsky]], [[Sanford Meisner]], [[Marc Blitzstein]], [[Anna Sokolow]], [[Lee J. Cobb]], [[Roman Bohnen]], [[Jay Adler]], [[Luther Adler]], [[Robert Ardrey]], [[Don Richardson (director)|Don Richardson]] and many others.
The Group Theatre included Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, Cheryl Crawford, Stella Adler (a founding member), [[Morris Carnovsky]], [[Clifford Odets]], [[Sanford Meisner]], [[Elia Kazan]], [[Harry Morgan]] (billed as Harry Bratsburg), [[Robert Lewis (actor)|Robert Lewis]], [[John Garfield]] (billed as Jules Garfield), [[Canada Lee]], [[Franchot Tone]], [[Frances Farmer]], [[Phoebe Brand]], [[Ruth Nelson (actress)|Ruth Nelson]], [[Will Geer]], [[Howard da Silva]], [[Sidney Lumet]], [[John Randolph (actor)|John Randolph]], [[Joseph Bromberg]], [[Michael Gordon (film director)|Michael Gordon]], [[Paul Green (playwright)|Paul Green]], [[Marc Blitzstein]], [[Paul Strand]], [[Anna Sokolow]], [[Lee J. Cobb]], [[Roman Bohnen]], [[Jay Adler]], Luther Adler, [[Robert Ardrey]], [[Don Richardson (director)|Don Richardson]] and many others.


==History==
==History==
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| alt2 =
| alt2 =
| caption2 = [[Luther Adler]] and [[Stella Adler]] in ''[[Awake and Sing!]]'' (1935)
| caption2 = [[Luther Adler]] and [[Stella Adler]] in ''[[Awake and Sing!]]'' (1935)
<!-- Image 3 -->
| image3 = Rocket-to-the-Moon-Lynn-Adler.jpg
| alt3 =
| caption3 = [[Eleanor Lynn]] and Luther Adler in ''[[Rocket to the Moon (play)|Rocket to the Moon]]'' (1938)
}}
}}
The Group Theatre's first production was [[Paul Green (playwright)|Paul Green]]'s ''The House of Connelly'' on September 23, 1931 at the [[Martin Beck Theatre]]. The company asked the [[Theatre Guild]] to help cover the $5,000 cost to perform. The Theatre Guild offered to pay the full amount if the group "removed [[Mary Morris]] and [[Morris Carnovsky]] from the cast and if restored the tragic ending" from the more upbeat and hopeful rewrite Green produced.<ref name="Clurman, p. 51"/> The group refused and instead raised half on its own. The play was an immediate critical success and was recognized for the special ensemble performances which the group would develop.<ref>Clurman, p. 54-55</ref>
The Group Theatre's first production was [[Paul Green (playwright)|Paul Green]]'s ''[[The House of Connelly]]'' on September 23, 1931, at the [[Martin Beck Theatre]]. The company asked the [[Theatre Guild]] to help cover the $5,000 cost to perform. The Theatre Guild offered to pay the full amount if the group "removed [[Mary Morris (American actress)|Mary Morris]] and [[Morris Carnovsky]] from the cast and restored the tragic ending" from the more upbeat and hopeful rewrite Green produced.<ref name="Clurman, p. 51"/> The group refused and instead raised half on its own, receiving support from Eugene O'Neill. The play was an immediate critical success and was recognized for the special ensemble performances which the group would develop.<ref>Clurman, p. 54-55</ref>


The group's production of [[John Howard Lawson]]'s ''[[Success Story (play)|Success Story]],'' which chronicled the rise of a youthful idealist who sacrifices his principles as he rises to the top of the advertising business, received very mixed reviews, with [[Luther Adler]] and [[Stella Adler]] receiving the majority of the positive reviews.<ref>Clurman, p. 91-95</ref>
The group's production of [[John Howard Lawson]]'s ''[[Success Story (play)|Success Story]],'' which chronicled the rise of a youthful idealist who sacrifices his principles as he rises to the top of the advertising business, received very mixed reviews, with [[Luther Adler]] and [[Stella Adler]] receiving the majority of the positive reviews.<ref>Clurman, p. 91-95</ref>


The group took on novelist [[Dawn Powell]]'s dark comedy ''Big Night'', rehearsed it for six months and asked for extensive revisions from the playwright. The result was a critical and box-office disaster that ran a scant nine performances. Harold Clurman, who took over the production late in the rehearsal period, later admitted the group's role in the fiasco. "The play should have been done in four swift weeks — or not at all. We worried it and harried our actors with it for months."<ref>Clurman, p. 100-101</ref>
The group took on novelist [[Dawn Powell]]'s dark comedy ''Big Night'', rehearsed it for six months and asked for extensive revisions from the playwright. The result was a critical and box-office disaster that ran a scant nine performances. Harold Clurman, who took over the production late in the rehearsal period, later admitted the group's role in the fiasco. "The play should have been done in four swift weeks—or not at all. We worried it and harried our actors with it for months."<ref>Clurman, p. 100-101</ref>


Later, during the first full season (1933–34), ''[[Men in White (play)|Men in White]]'', written by [[Sidney Kingsley]], directed by Lee Strasberg and produced by [[Sidney Harmon]], became a financial success for the group.<ref>Clurman, p. 120-121</ref> It won the [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]].<ref>Smith, Wendy. [[Real Life Drama: The Group Theatre and America, 1931-1940]]'' New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1990, p. 173</ref>
Later, during the first full season (1933–34), ''[[Men in White (play)|Men in White]]'', written by [[Sidney Kingsley]], directed by Lee Strasberg and produced by [[Sidney Harmon]], became a financial success for the group.<ref>Clurman, p. 120-121</ref> It won the [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]].<ref>Smith, Wendy. ''Real Life Drama: The Group Theatre and America, 1931-1940'' New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1990, p. 173</ref>


On the night of January 5, 1935, some members of the group participated in a benefit performance for the ''New Theatre Magazine''. Written by Clifford Odets and directed by Odets and Sanford Meisner, the one-act play ''[[Waiting for Lefty]]'' was performed at the Civic Repertory Theatre in New York City and became a theatrical legend.<ref>Clurman, p. 138</ref> The play reflects a kind of street poetry that brought great acclaim to the group and to Odets as the new voice of social drama in the 1930s.<ref>Clurman, p. 141-142</ref> Odets became the playwright most strongly identified with the group, and its productions of ''[[Awake and Sing!]]'' and ''Paradise Lost'', both directed in 1935 by Harold Clurman, proved to be excellent vehicles for the Stanislavskian aesthetic. The following year, the group produced the Paul Green-[[Kurt Weill]] anti-war musical ''[[Johnny Johnson (musical)|Johnny Johnson]]'', directed by Strasberg.<ref>Smith, p. 275-285</ref>
On the night of January 5, 1935, some members of the group participated in a benefit performance for the ''New Theatre Magazine''. Written by Clifford Odets and directed by Odets and Sanford Meisner, the one-act play ''[[Waiting for Lefty]]'' was performed at the Civic Repertory Theatre in New York City and became a theatrical legend.<ref>Clurman, p. 138</ref> The play reflects a kind of street poetry that brought great acclaim to the group and to Odets as the new voice of social drama in the 1930s.<ref>Clurman, p. 141-142</ref> Odets became the playwright most strongly identified with the group, and its productions of ''[[Awake and Sing!]]'' and ''Paradise Lost'', both directed in 1935 by Harold Clurman, proved to be excellent vehicles for the Stanislavskian aesthetic. The following year, the group produced the Paul Green-[[Kurt Weill]] anti-war musical ''[[Johnny Johnson (musical)|Johnny Johnson]]'', directed by Strasberg.<ref>Smith, p. 275-285</ref>
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[[Elia Kazan]] directed [[Robert Ardrey]]'s plays ''[[Casey Jones (play)|Casey Jones]]'' and ''[[Thunder Rock (play)|Thunder Rock]]'' in 1938 and 1939–40 for the Group Theatre.<ref>[http://www.wesleyan.edu/cinema/collections/kazan.html Wesleyan Cinema Archives: The Elia Kazan Collection.] [[Wesleyan University]]</ref>
[[Elia Kazan]] directed [[Robert Ardrey]]'s plays ''[[Casey Jones (play)|Casey Jones]]'' and ''[[Thunder Rock (play)|Thunder Rock]]'' in 1938 and 1939–40 for the Group Theatre.<ref>[http://www.wesleyan.edu/cinema/collections/kazan.html Wesleyan Cinema Archives: The Elia Kazan Collection.] [[Wesleyan University]]</ref>


The group gathered at different summer locations to rehearse and train intensively for six of its 10 years in existence. The group spent the summer of 1936 at [[Pine Brook Country Club]], located near [[Nichols, Connecticut]].<ref>Images of America, Trumbull Historical Society, 1997, p. 123</ref><ref>The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre, Don Wilmeth, p. 21</ref> Other summer venues included [[Brookfield Center, Connecticut]] (1931);<ref>Clurman, p. 36</ref> Dover Furnace in [[Dutchess County, New York]] (1932);<ref>Smith, p. 84</ref> Green Mansions in [[Warrensburg, New York]] in 1933;<ref>Smith, p. 139</ref> a large house in [[Ellenville, New York]] (1934);<ref>Smith, p. 180</ref> and Lake Grove in [[Smithtown, New York]] in 1939.<ref>Smith, p. 364</ref>
The group gathered at different summer locations to rehearse and train intensively for six of its 10 years in existence. The group spent the summer of 1931 at Brookfield Center, 1936 at [[Pine Brook Country Club]], located near [[Nichols, Connecticut]].<ref>Images of America, Trumbull Historical Society, 1997, p. 123</ref><ref>Wilmeth, Don. ''The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre'', p. 21</ref> Other summer venues included [[Brookfield Center, Connecticut]] (1931);<ref>Clurman, p. 36</ref> Dover Furnace in [[Dutchess County, New York]] (1932);<ref>Smith, p. 84</ref> Green Mansions in [[Warrensburg, New York]] in 1933;<ref>Smith, p. 139</ref> a large house in [[Ellenville, New York]] (1934);<ref>Smith, p. 180</ref> and Lake Grove in [[Smithtown, New York]] in 1939.<ref>Smith, p. 364</ref>


Despite its success and sweeping impact on the American theater landscape for many years to come, the group ended by 1941, and factors included the impending war, the lure of fame and fortune in Hollywood, the lack of institutional funding, and the friction of interpersonal relationships.<ref>Smith, p. 411</ref>
Despite its success and sweeping impact on the American theater landscape for many years to come, the group ended by 1941, and factors included the impending war, the lure of fame and fortune in Hollywood, the lack of institutional funding, and the friction of interpersonal relationships.<ref>Smith, p. 411</ref>
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| ''{{sortname|The|House of Connelly}}''
| ''{{sortname|The|House of Connelly}}''
| {{sortname|Paul|Green|Paul Green (playwright)}}
| {{sortname|Paul|Green|Paul Green (playwright)}}
| [[Al Hirschfeld Theatre|Martin Beck Theatre]]<br>Drected by [[Lee Strasberg]] and [[Cheryl Crawford]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-house-of-connelly-11173 |title=The House of Connelly |publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[Al Hirschfeld Theatre|Martin Beck Theatre]]<br>Directed by [[Lee Strasberg]] and [[Cheryl Crawford]]
|-
|-
| December 10–?, 1931
| December 10–?, 1931
| ''1931—''
| ''1931—''
| {{sortname|Claire and Paul|Sifton|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Claire and Paul|Sifton|nolink=1}}
| [[Brooks Atkinson Theatre|Mansfield Theatre]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/1931--11460 |title=1931— |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[Brooks Atkinson Theatre|Mansfield Theatre]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg
|-
|-
| March 9–?, 1932
| March 9–?, 1932
| ''[[Night Over Taos]]''
| ''[[Night Over Taos]]''
| {{sortname|Maxwell|Anderson}}
| {{sortname|Maxwell|Anderson}}
| [[48th Street Theatre]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/night-over-taos-11510 |title=Night Over Taos |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[48th Street Theatre]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg
|-
|-
| September 26, 1932 – January 1933
| September 26, 1932 – January 1933
| ''[[Success Story (play)|Success Story]]''
| ''[[Success Story (play)|Success Story]]''
| {{sortname|John Howard|Lawson}}
| {{sortname|John Howard|Lawson}}
| [[Maxine Elliott Theatre]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/success-story-11630 |title=Success Story |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[Maxine Elliott Theatre]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg
|-
|-
| January 17–?, 1933
| January 17–?, 1933
| ''Big Night''
| ''Big Night''
| {{sortname|Dawn|Powell}}
| {{sortname|Dawn|Powell}}
| Maxine Elliott Theatre<br>Directed by Cheryl Crawford<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/big-night-11180 |title=Big Night |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| Maxine Elliott Theatre<br>Directed by Cheryl Crawford
|-
|-
| September 26, 1933 – July 1934
| September 26, 1933 – July 1934
| ''[[Men in White (play)|Men in White]]''
| ''[[Men in White (play)|Men in White]]''
| {{sortname|Sidney|Kingsley}}
| {{sortname|Sidney|Kingsley}}
| [[Broadhurst Theatre]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/men-in-white-11758 |title=Men in White |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[Broadhurst Theatre]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg
|-
|-
| March 22 – April 1934
| March 22 – April 1934
| ''Gentlewoman''
| ''Gentlewoman''
| {{sortname|John Howard|Lawson|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|John Howard|Lawson|nolink=1}}
| [[Cort Theatre]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/gentlewoman-11853 |title=Gentlewoman |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[Cort Theatre]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg
|-
|-
| November 28, 1934 – January 1935
| November 28, 1934 – January 1935
| ''[[Gold Eagle Guy]]''
| ''[[Gold Eagle Guy]]''
| {{sortname|Melvin|Levy|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Melvin|Levy|nolink=1}}
| [[Morosco Theatre]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/gold-eagle-guy-9388 |title=Gold Eagle Guy |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[Morosco Theatre]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg
|-
|-
| February 19 – July 27, 1935
| February 19 – July 27, 1935
| ''[[Awake and Sing!]]''
| ''[[Awake and Sing!]]''
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets}}
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets}}
| [[Belasco Theatre]]<br>Directed by [[Harold Clurman]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/awake-and-sing-11954 |title=Awake and Sing! |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[Belasco Theatre]]<br>Directed by [[Harold Clurman]]
|-
|-
| March 26 – July 1935
| March 26 – July 1935
| ''[[Waiting for Lefty]]''
| ''[[Waiting for Lefty]]''
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| [[Longacre Theatre]]<br>Directed by [[Sanford Meisner]] and Clifford Odets<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/waiting-for-lefty-9728 |title=Waiting for Lefty |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[Longacre Theatre]]<br>Directed by [[Sanford Meisner]] and Clifford Odets
|-
|-
| March 26 – July 1935
| March 26 – July 1935
| ''[[Till the Day I Die]]''
| ''[[Till the Day I Die]]''
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| [[Longacre Theatre]]<br>Directed by Cheryl Crawford<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/till-the-day-i-die-9727 |title=Till the Day I Die |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[Longacre Theatre]]<br>Directed by Cheryl Crawford
|-
|-
| September 9–? 1935
| September 9–? 1935
| ''Waiting for Lefty''
| ''Waiting for Lefty''
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| Belasco Theatre<br>Directed by Sanford Meisner and Clifford Odets<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/waiting-for-lefty-11980 |title=Waiting for Lefty |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| Belasco Theatre<br>Directed by Sanford Meisner and Clifford Odets
|-
|-
| September 9–? 1935
| September 9–? 1935
| ''Awake and Sing!''
| ''Awake and Sing!''
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets}}
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets}}
| Belasco Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/awake-and-sing-11979 |title=Awake and Sing! |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| Belasco Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman
|-
|-
| November 30 – December 1935
| November 30 – December 1935
| ''Weep for the Virgins''
| ''Weep for the Virgins''
| {{sortname|Nellise|Child|nolink=1}}
|[[Nellise Child]]
| [[Richard Rodgers Theatre|46th Street Theatre]]<br>Directed by Cheryl Crawford<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/weep-for-the-virgins-12036 |title=Weep for the Virgins |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[Richard Rodgers Theatre|46th Street Theatre]]<br>Directed by Cheryl Crawford
|-
|-
| December 6, 1935 – February 1936
| December 6, 1935 – February 1936
| ''[[Paradise Lost (play)|Paradise Lost]]''
| ''[[Paradise Lost (play)|Paradise Lost]]''
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| Longacre Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/paradise-lost-12042 |title=Paradise Lost |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| Longacre Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman
|-
|-
| March 13–?, 1936
| March 13–?, 1936
| ''{{sortname|The|Case of Clyde Griffiths|nolink=1}}''
| ''{{sortname|The|Case of Clyde Griffiths|nolink=1}}''
| {{sortname|Erwin|Piscator}} and Lena Goldschmidt
| {{sortname|Erwin|Piscator}} and Lena Goldschmidt
| [[Ethel Barrymore Theatre]]<br>Adapted from the novel ''[[An American Tragedy]]''<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/case-of-clyde-griffiths-12106 |title=The Case of Clyde Griffiths |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[Ethel Barrymore Theatre]]<br>Adapted from the novel ''[[An American Tragedy]]''<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg
|-
|-
| November 19, 1936 – January 16, 1937
| November 19, 1936 – January 16, 1937
| ''[[Johnny Johnson (musical)|Johnny Johnson]]''
| ''[[Johnny Johnson (musical)|Johnny Johnson]]''
| {{sortname|Paul|Green|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Paul|Green|nolink=1}}
| [[44th Street Theatre]]<br>Music by [[Kurt Weill]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/johnny-johnson-12166 |title=Johnny Johnson |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[44th Street Theatre]]<br>Music by [[Kurt Weill]]<br>Directed by Lee Strasberg
|-
|-
| November 4, 1937 – June 1938
| November 4, 1937 – June 1938
| ''[[Golden Boy (play)|Golden Boy]]''
| ''[[Golden Boy (play)|Golden Boy]]''
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| Belasco Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/golden-boy-12308 |title=Golden Boy |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| Belasco Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman
|-
|-
| February 19 – March 1938
| February 19 – March 1938
| ''[[Casey Jones (play)|Casey Jones]]''
| ''[[Casey Jones (play)|Casey Jones]]''
| {{sortname|Robert|Ardrey}}
| {{sortname|Robert|Ardrey}}
| [[Fulton Theatre]]<br>Directed by [[Elia Kazan]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/casey-jones-10447 |title=Casey Jones |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[Fulton Theatre]]<br>Directed by [[Elia Kazan]]
|-
|-
| November 24, 1938 – March 1939
| November 24, 1938 – March 1939
| ''[[Rocket to the Moon (play)|Rocket to the Moon]]''
| ''[[Rocket to the Moon (play)|Rocket to the Moon]]''
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| Belasco Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/rocket-to-the-moon-12398 |title=Rocket to the Moon |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| Belasco Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman
|-
|-
| January 5 – May 1939
| January 5 – May 1939
| ''{{sortname|The|Gentle People|nolink=1}}''
| ''{{sortname|The|Gentle People|nolink=1}}''
| {{sortname|Irwin|Shaw}}
| {{sortname|Irwin|Shaw}}
| Belasco Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-gentle-people-12404 |title=The Gentle People |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| Belasco Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman
|-
|-
| March 7 – April 1939
| March 7 – April 1939
| ''Awake and Sing!''
| ''Awake and Sing!''
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| [[48th Street Theatre|Windsor Theatre]]<br>Directed by Harold Clurman<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/awake-and-sing-12434 |title=Awake and Sing! |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[48th Street Theatre|Windsor Theatre]]<br>Directed by Harold Clurman
|-
|-
| April 13 – May 1939
| April 13 – May 1939
| ''[[My Heart's in the Highlands (play)|My Heart's in the Highlands]]''
| ''[[My Heart's in the Highlands (play)|My Heart's in the Highlands]]''
| {{sortname|William|Saroyan}}
| {{sortname|William|Saroyan}}
| [[August Wilson Theatre|Guild Theatre]]<br>Directed by [[Robert Lewis (director)|Robert Lewis]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/my-hearts-in-the-highlands-12444 |title=My Heart's in the Highlands |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| [[August Wilson Theatre|Guild Theatre]]<br>Directed by [[Robert Lewis (director)|Robert Lewis]]
|-
|-
| November 14 – December 2, 1939
| November 14 – December 2, 1939
| ''[[Thunder Rock (play)|Thunder Rock]]''
| ''[[Thunder Rock (play)|Thunder Rock]]''
| {{sortname|Robert|Ardrey|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Robert|Ardrey|nolink=1}}
| Mansfield Theatre<br>Directed by Elia Kazan<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/thunder-rock-13205 |title=Thunder Rock |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| Mansfield Theatre<br>Directed by Elia Kazan
|-
|-
| February 22 – March 1940
| February 22 – March 1940
| ''[[Night Music (play)|Night Music]]''
| ''[[Night Music (play)|Night Music]]''
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Clifford|Odets|nolink=1}}
| Broadhurst Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/night-music-13233 |title=Night Music |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| Broadhurst Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman
|-
|-
| December 17, 1940 – January 4, 1941
| December 17, 1940 – January 4, 1941
| ''Retreat to Pleasure''
| ''Retreat to Pleasure''
| {{sortname|Irwin|Shaw|nolink=1}}
| {{sortname|Irwin|Shaw|nolink=1}}
| Belasco Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/retreat-to-pleasure-1041 |title=Retreat to Pleasure |publisher=Internet Broadway Database |accessdate=2017-07-09}}</ref>
| Belasco Theatre<br>Directed by Harold Clurman
|}
|}


Line 202: Line 239:
After the war, in 1947, Robert Lewis, Elia Kazan, and Cheryl Crawford founded the [[Actors Studio]], where the techniques inspired by Stanislavski and developed in the Group Theatre were refined. Under the leadership of Lee Strasberg, who later joined the Actors Studio and became its director in 1951, what is now referred to as [[Method acting|The Method]] emerged as a lasting force in modern drama.<ref>Smith, p. 418-419</ref>
After the war, in 1947, Robert Lewis, Elia Kazan, and Cheryl Crawford founded the [[Actors Studio]], where the techniques inspired by Stanislavski and developed in the Group Theatre were refined. Under the leadership of Lee Strasberg, who later joined the Actors Studio and became its director in 1951, what is now referred to as [[Method acting|The Method]] emerged as a lasting force in modern drama.<ref>Smith, p. 418-419</ref>


Institutionally, the Group Theatre influenced the [[Chelsea Theater Center]], a later theater in New York (1960s and 1970s), born of idealism and destroyed by lack of funding and friction between its co-directors. [[Hal Prince]] invokes the group in his foreword to the book ''[[Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater]].''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Napoleon|first1=Davi|title=Chelsea on the edge : the adventures of an American theater|date=1991|publisher=Iowa State University Press|location=Ames|isbn=978-0813817132|edition=1st}}</ref>
Institutionally, the Group Theatre influenced the [[Chelsea Theater Center]], a later theater in New York (1960s and 1970s), born of idealism and destroyed by lack of funding and friction between its co-directors. [[Harold Prince]] invokes the group in his foreword to the book ''[[Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater]].''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Napoleon|first1=Davi|title=Chelsea on the edge : the adventures of an American theater|date=1991|publisher=Iowa State University Press|location=Ames|isbn=978-0813817132|edition=1st}}</ref>


== House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) ==
In the 1950s, many of the former members were called before the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] (HUAC). Those who appeared as friendly witnesses, such as Elia Kazan, Clifford Odets, and Lee J. Cobb, avoided the fate of their colleagues who refused to name Communist Party members and, as a result, were [[blacklist]]ed. Elia Kazan would later state he abandoned his Communist views in part because of an agenda to transform the Group Theatre into a company devoted to promoting "Marxist ideology." Odets would share similar concerns after experiencing pressure from the party to change the direction of his writing.
In the 1950s, many of the former members were called before the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] (HUAC). Those who appeared as friendly witnesses, such as Elia Kazan, Clifford Odets, and Lee J. Cobb, avoided the fate of their colleagues who refused to name Communist Party members and, as a result, were [[blacklist]]ed. Elia Kazan would later state he abandoned his Communist views in part because of an agenda to transform the Group Theatre into a company devoted to promoting "Marxist ideology." Odets would share similar concerns after experiencing pressure from the party to change the direction of his writing.


Mark Kemble's play ''Names'' covers the relationship between HUAC and the former members of the Group Theatre.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hirschhorn |first=Joel |date=2001-12-04 |title=Names |url=https://variety.com/2001/legit/reviews/names-2-1200552406/ |access-date=2023-01-26 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>
The Group Theatre is described in Robert Lewis's ''Slings And Arrows, Theater in My Life'', Harold Clurman's ''The Fervent Years'',<ref name="fervent" /> and Wendy Smith's authoritative history ''Real Life Drama''.


==References==
==References==
'''Notes'''
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Reflist}}

'''Further reading'''
* Clurman, Harold (1983). ''The Fervent Years: the Group Theatre and the Thirties''. Boston: Da Capo Press. {{ISBN|9780306801860}}
* Kazan, Elia (1997). ''Elia Kazan: A Life''. Boston: Da Capo Press. {{ISBN|0-306-80804-8}} {{OCLC|36713306}}
* Lewis, Robert (1996). ''Slings & Arrows: Theater in My Life''. New York: Applause. {{ISBN|1-55783-244-7}} {{OCLC|35813730}}

{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Theatre companies in New York City]]
[[Category:Arts organizations established in 1931]]
[[Category:1931 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:Organizations disestablished in 1941]]
[[Category:1941 disestablishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Defunct theatre companies in New York City]]

Latest revision as of 22:54, 23 December 2024

Group Theatre
Formation1931
Dissolved1941
TypeTheatre group
Location
Artistic director(s)
Notable members

The Group Theatre was a theater collective based in New York City and formed in 1931 by Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford and Lee Strasberg.[1] It was intended as a base for the kind of theatre they and their colleagues believed in—a forceful, naturalistic and highly disciplined artistry. They were pioneers of what would become an "American acting technique", derived from the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavski, but pushed beyond them as well. The company included actors, directors, playwrights, and producers. The name "Group" came from the idea of the actors as a pure ensemble; a reference to the company as "our group" led them to "accept the inevitable and call their company The Group Theatre."[2]

The New York–based Group Theatre had no connection with the identically named Group Theatre based in London and founded in 1932.

In the ten years of its existence, the Group Theatre produced works by many important American playwrights, including Clifford Odets, Sidney Kingsley, Paul Green, Robert Ardrey, and Irwin Shaw. Its most notable productions included Success Story starring Stella Adler and Luther Adler, Clifford Odets' Awake and Sing, Waiting for Lefty, Paradise Lost, and the 1937–38 Broadway hit Golden Boy, starring Luther Adler and Frances Farmer.

The Group Theatre included Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, Cheryl Crawford, Stella Adler (a founding member), Morris Carnovsky, Clifford Odets, Sanford Meisner, Elia Kazan, Harry Morgan (billed as Harry Bratsburg), Robert Lewis, John Garfield (billed as Jules Garfield), Canada Lee, Franchot Tone, Frances Farmer, Phoebe Brand, Ruth Nelson, Will Geer, Howard da Silva, Sidney Lumet, John Randolph, Joseph Bromberg, Michael Gordon, Paul Green, Marc Blitzstein, Paul Strand, Anna Sokolow, Lee J. Cobb, Roman Bohnen, Jay Adler, Luther Adler, Robert Ardrey, Don Richardson and many others.

History

[edit]
Men in White (1933), winner of the Pulitzer Prize
Luther Adler and Stella Adler in Awake and Sing! (1935)
Eleanor Lynn and Luther Adler in Rocket to the Moon (1938)

The Group Theatre's first production was Paul Green's The House of Connelly on September 23, 1931, at the Martin Beck Theatre. The company asked the Theatre Guild to help cover the $5,000 cost to perform. The Theatre Guild offered to pay the full amount if the group "removed Mary Morris and Morris Carnovsky from the cast and restored the tragic ending" from the more upbeat and hopeful rewrite Green produced.[2] The group refused and instead raised half on its own, receiving support from Eugene O'Neill. The play was an immediate critical success and was recognized for the special ensemble performances which the group would develop.[3]

The group's production of John Howard Lawson's Success Story, which chronicled the rise of a youthful idealist who sacrifices his principles as he rises to the top of the advertising business, received very mixed reviews, with Luther Adler and Stella Adler receiving the majority of the positive reviews.[4]

The group took on novelist Dawn Powell's dark comedy Big Night, rehearsed it for six months and asked for extensive revisions from the playwright. The result was a critical and box-office disaster that ran a scant nine performances. Harold Clurman, who took over the production late in the rehearsal period, later admitted the group's role in the fiasco. "The play should have been done in four swift weeks—or not at all. We worried it and harried our actors with it for months."[5]

Later, during the first full season (1933–34), Men in White, written by Sidney Kingsley, directed by Lee Strasberg and produced by Sidney Harmon, became a financial success for the group.[6] It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[7]

On the night of January 5, 1935, some members of the group participated in a benefit performance for the New Theatre Magazine. Written by Clifford Odets and directed by Odets and Sanford Meisner, the one-act play Waiting for Lefty was performed at the Civic Repertory Theatre in New York City and became a theatrical legend.[8] The play reflects a kind of street poetry that brought great acclaim to the group and to Odets as the new voice of social drama in the 1930s.[9] Odets became the playwright most strongly identified with the group, and its productions of Awake and Sing! and Paradise Lost, both directed in 1935 by Harold Clurman, proved to be excellent vehicles for the Stanislavskian aesthetic. The following year, the group produced the Paul Green-Kurt Weill anti-war musical Johnny Johnson, directed by Strasberg.[10]

Some members of the Group Theatre in 1938: Roman Bohnen, Luther Adler, Leif Erickson, Frances Farmer, Ruth Nelson, Sanford Meisner, Phoebe Brand, Eleanor Lynn, Irwin Shaw, Elia Kazan, Harold Clurman and Morris Carnovsky

The Group Theatre's most successful production was the 1937–38 Broadway hit Golden Boy.[citation needed]

Elia Kazan directed Robert Ardrey's plays Casey Jones and Thunder Rock in 1938 and 1939–40 for the Group Theatre.[11]

The group gathered at different summer locations to rehearse and train intensively for six of its 10 years in existence. The group spent the summer of 1931 at Brookfield Center, 1936 at Pine Brook Country Club, located near Nichols, Connecticut.[12][13] Other summer venues included Brookfield Center, Connecticut (1931);[14] Dover Furnace in Dutchess County, New York (1932);[15] Green Mansions in Warrensburg, New York in 1933;[16] a large house in Ellenville, New York (1934);[17] and Lake Grove in Smithtown, New York in 1939.[18]

Despite its success and sweeping impact on the American theater landscape for many years to come, the group ended by 1941, and factors included the impending war, the lure of fame and fortune in Hollywood, the lack of institutional funding, and the friction of interpersonal relationships.[19]

Broadway productions

[edit]
Date Title Author Notes
September 28 – December 1931 The House of Connelly Paul Green Martin Beck Theatre
Directed by Lee Strasberg and Cheryl Crawford
December 10–?, 1931 1931— Claire and Paul Sifton Mansfield Theatre
Directed by Lee Strasberg
March 9–?, 1932 Night Over Taos Maxwell Anderson 48th Street Theatre
Directed by Lee Strasberg
September 26, 1932 – January 1933 Success Story John Howard Lawson Maxine Elliott Theatre
Directed by Lee Strasberg
January 17–?, 1933 Big Night Dawn Powell Maxine Elliott Theatre
Directed by Cheryl Crawford
September 26, 1933 – July 1934 Men in White Sidney Kingsley Broadhurst Theatre
Directed by Lee Strasberg
March 22 – April 1934 Gentlewoman John Howard Lawson Cort Theatre
Directed by Lee Strasberg
November 28, 1934 – January 1935 Gold Eagle Guy Melvin Levy Morosco Theatre
Directed by Lee Strasberg
February 19 – July 27, 1935 Awake and Sing! Clifford Odets Belasco Theatre
Directed by Harold Clurman
March 26 – July 1935 Waiting for Lefty Clifford Odets Longacre Theatre
Directed by Sanford Meisner and Clifford Odets
March 26 – July 1935 Till the Day I Die Clifford Odets Longacre Theatre
Directed by Cheryl Crawford
September 9–? 1935 Waiting for Lefty Clifford Odets Belasco Theatre
Directed by Sanford Meisner and Clifford Odets
September 9–? 1935 Awake and Sing! Clifford Odets Belasco Theatre
Directed by Harold Clurman
November 30 – December 1935 Weep for the Virgins Nellise Child 46th Street Theatre
Directed by Cheryl Crawford
December 6, 1935 – February 1936 Paradise Lost Clifford Odets Longacre Theatre
Directed by Harold Clurman
March 13–?, 1936 The Case of Clyde Griffiths Erwin Piscator and Lena Goldschmidt Ethel Barrymore Theatre
Adapted from the novel An American Tragedy
Directed by Lee Strasberg
November 19, 1936 – January 16, 1937 Johnny Johnson Paul Green 44th Street Theatre
Music by Kurt Weill
Directed by Lee Strasberg
November 4, 1937 – June 1938 Golden Boy Clifford Odets Belasco Theatre
Directed by Harold Clurman
February 19 – March 1938 Casey Jones Robert Ardrey Fulton Theatre
Directed by Elia Kazan
November 24, 1938 – March 1939 Rocket to the Moon Clifford Odets Belasco Theatre
Directed by Harold Clurman
January 5 – May 1939 The Gentle People Irwin Shaw Belasco Theatre
Directed by Harold Clurman
March 7 – April 1939 Awake and Sing! Clifford Odets Windsor Theatre
Directed by Harold Clurman
April 13 – May 1939 My Heart's in the Highlands William Saroyan Guild Theatre
Directed by Robert Lewis
November 14 – December 2, 1939 Thunder Rock Robert Ardrey Mansfield Theatre
Directed by Elia Kazan
February 22 – March 1940 Night Music Clifford Odets Broadhurst Theatre
Directed by Harold Clurman
December 17, 1940 – January 4, 1941 Retreat to Pleasure Irwin Shaw Belasco Theatre
Directed by Harold Clurman

Influence

[edit]

After the war, in 1947, Robert Lewis, Elia Kazan, and Cheryl Crawford founded the Actors Studio, where the techniques inspired by Stanislavski and developed in the Group Theatre were refined. Under the leadership of Lee Strasberg, who later joined the Actors Studio and became its director in 1951, what is now referred to as The Method emerged as a lasting force in modern drama.[20]

Institutionally, the Group Theatre influenced the Chelsea Theater Center, a later theater in New York (1960s and 1970s), born of idealism and destroyed by lack of funding and friction between its co-directors. Harold Prince invokes the group in his foreword to the book Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater.[21]

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

[edit]

In the 1950s, many of the former members were called before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Those who appeared as friendly witnesses, such as Elia Kazan, Clifford Odets, and Lee J. Cobb, avoided the fate of their colleagues who refused to name Communist Party members and, as a result, were blacklisted. Elia Kazan would later state he abandoned his Communist views in part because of an agenda to transform the Group Theatre into a company devoted to promoting "Marxist ideology." Odets would share similar concerns after experiencing pressure from the party to change the direction of his writing.

Mark Kemble's play Names covers the relationship between HUAC and the former members of the Group Theatre.[22]

References

[edit]

Notes

  1. ^ Clurman, Harold (1983). The Fervent Years: the Group Theatre and the Thirties. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 9780306801860.
  2. ^ a b Clurman, p. 51
  3. ^ Clurman, p. 54-55
  4. ^ Clurman, p. 91-95
  5. ^ Clurman, p. 100-101
  6. ^ Clurman, p. 120-121
  7. ^ Smith, Wendy. Real Life Drama: The Group Theatre and America, 1931-1940 New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1990, p. 173
  8. ^ Clurman, p. 138
  9. ^ Clurman, p. 141-142
  10. ^ Smith, p. 275-285
  11. ^ Wesleyan Cinema Archives: The Elia Kazan Collection. Wesleyan University
  12. ^ Images of America, Trumbull Historical Society, 1997, p. 123
  13. ^ Wilmeth, Don. The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre, p. 21
  14. ^ Clurman, p. 36
  15. ^ Smith, p. 84
  16. ^ Smith, p. 139
  17. ^ Smith, p. 180
  18. ^ Smith, p. 364
  19. ^ Smith, p. 411
  20. ^ Smith, p. 418-419
  21. ^ Napoleon, Davi (1991). Chelsea on the edge : the adventures of an American theater (1st ed.). Ames: Iowa State University Press. ISBN 978-0813817132.
  22. ^ Hirschhorn, Joel (2001-12-04). "Names". Variety. Retrieved 2023-01-26.

Further reading

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