"Voodoo" Macbeth

Much of the focus of the Federal Theatre Project was on performing high-class theatre; at least in the eyes of project leader Ms. Hallie Flannagan. Overtime, the project slowly evolved to be more inclusive and indisputibly pluralistic, being the project to accrue much infamy compared to the others.

One such point of contention is director Orson Welles's modernization and remixing of the Shakespearean "Macbeth." This version would be set in Haiti and feature an all-African-American cast. This idea was seen as very radical and also praised by the general public. Taking a new point of view, this work "subverted" what Shakespeare had created. Something that this project accomplished was the "movement" of African-Americans into the world of theatre. For the first time, they had gotten their chance. Barely anyone one the team was a professional actor, Welles having only four on the team.

The contention also started a negative movement. People saw this rendition crude and perverted and it fueled the fires against the FTP. Other critics were impressed with how well the show caught on. The FTP was a place for new and more diverse ideas to take off, but at such a high risk.