2-945-305 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Black Crook, Los Angeles, 1936. 'Mayan Theatre...1936 Version - "Black Crook" - A Dramatic Musical Extravaganza...Cast of 100 - Concert Orchestra of 35...A Federal Stage Show - Div. of W.P.A.'. "The Black Crook", first produced in New York City with great success in 1866, is claimed by many to be the first popular piece that conforms to the modern notion of a musical. The Federal Theatre Project, created by the U.S. Works Progress Administration in 1935, was designed to conserve and develop the skills of theater workers, re-employ them on public relief, and to bring theater to thousands in the United States who had never before seen live theatrical performances.