Today in History: Orson Welles’ First Macbeth
Today in History–July 25–the Library of Congress features Macbeth, “The Play That Electrified Harlem“. The closing night performance of Macbeth, produced by John Houseman and directed by Orson Welles for the Federal Theatre Project (FTP) of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), was staged on July 25, 1936 and featured an all African-American cast. Find out more about this production by visiting the Today in History section, then follow the links below to access more primary source treasures related to this play and other FTP works.
The Play That Electrified Harlem article
The Play That Electrified Harlem story map that explores the 1936 production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth by the Negro Unit of the Federal Theater Project | CSV file
Macbeth: items from the 1936 production by Orson Welles
Macbeth New York production images
Negro Version of “Macbeth” Coming to Detroit Theatre The Detroit Tribune. (Detroit, Mich.), 05 Sept. 1936
Macbeth to Open Monday at Lafayette Theatre The Detroit Tribune. (Detroit, Mich.), 12 Sept. 1936
Orson Welles historical newspaper coverage
Macbeth historical newspaper coverage
Periodical articles
- “The Morality of Macbeth” The New-England Magazine Volume 1, Issue 4, October 1831
- “Macbeth” The American Whig Review Volume 6, Issue 6, Dec 1847
- “Case Of Lady Macbeth Medically Considered” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine Volume 8, Issue 45, February 1854
- “Studies in Macbeth” The Atlantic Monthly Volume 69, Issue 412, February 1892
- “Macbeth” The Atlantic Monthly Volume 75, Issue 450, April 1895
Macbeth at the Library of Congress Teaching with the Library of Congress blog post April 16, 2015
Related resources