Group Theatre (New York)
The Group Theatre was a free American theater group, which was founded in 1931 by Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford and Lee Strasberg in New York.
The founders of the Group Theatre gathered around young actors who emulated the theater theories of Stanislavski Russian theater teacher. They wanted the previously unknown naturalistic game that had met with stops at the Moscow art theater, the founder, transferred to American conditions. The word Group ( group) should symbolize that a theater company thrives on interaction and no stars needed. The ensemble was living partially as a municipality to develop theatrical performances. The group included directors, actors, playwrights and producers. The pieces and themes that they chose for their productions, most of them had a socially critical approach and tried the current political and economic problems to the stage to transport. Some of the members belonged to at this time of the U.S. Communist Party and came in the late 1940s and early 1950s targeted by the anti-Communist investigations of the Committee on Un-American Activities. The Group Theatre disbanded in 1941. Some members have advanced to screen stars, successful Broadway and film directors and writers.
1947 was made up of members from the group show the Actors Studio, which until today is among the major drama schools in the USA and produced some of the most important actors in the country.
Stella Adler, Luther Adler, Lee Strasberg, Phoebe Brand, Joseph Bromberg, Lee J. Cobb, Howard Da Silva, Jules Dassin, Frances Farmer, John Garfield, Will Geer, Michael Gordon, Paul Green, Elia Kazan, Robert Lewis, Sanford Meisner, Clifford Odets, John Randolph, Martin Ritt, Irwin Shaw, Franchot Tone and esp.