9 NYC theater companies unite for ‘It Can’t Happen Here,’ New Deal-era play on rise of fascism
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Performance organizer Folksbiene presented the play “Soul 2 Soul” in February. Victor Nechay, properpix.com
By David Brand
A populist demagogue rises to power amid nationwide unrest, with a pledge to return the United States to its traditional values. Once elected president, he imposes fascist rule, mirroring the rightwing dictators he admires elswhere in the world.
That’s the plot of the 1936 play “It Can’t Happen Here,” adapted by John Moffitt and Sinclair Lewis based on Lewis’ satirical novel of the same name.
More than 80 years later, nine New York City theater companies have united to present the play in various languages. They say the work resonates today — and not just because of the clear parallels to the current political moment.
“It’s a perfect vehicle because the message of the play is timely, and we find ourselves back in a situation similar to where America was in the Great Depression. We’re at crossroads like in 1936,” said Motl Didner, the associate director of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, which organized the reading.
The original “It Can’t Happen Here” was funded by the New Deal’s Federal Theater Project. Photo via Library of Congress
Didner said the making of the original Depression-era play also provides a roadmap for supporting the arts and putting people back to work during the modern economic crisis. “It Can’t Happen Here” was first presented simultaneously by 21 theater companies with funding from the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Theater Project. The New Deal agency was crucial for providing work to artists and laborers during the Great Depression.
Didner said he had the idea to reprise the play after having conversations with other theater groups about the need for a new Works Progress Administration.
The government program would “help artists and cultural organizations get through these times when we have seen the devastation of our entire industry,” he said.
Folksbiene reached out to the eight other theater companies well before the pandemic hit New York City. The COVID-fueled health and financial crisis has only fueled the need for direct federal support for the arts, Didner said.
The other companies include Israeli Artists Project, Kairos Italy Theater, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, New Heritage Theatre Group/Impact Repertory Theatre, New York Classical Theatre, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, Playful Substance, Repertorio Español and Turkish American Repertory Theater & Entertainment.
“We’re in moment when our communities are struggling,” said Repertorio Español Associate Artistic Producer Rafael Sánchez. “This is a way to think about the present by looking to the past.”
More than 60 performers will read the play in various languages Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. The event will stream on the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene website until Sunday, Nov. 1 p.m.
