It CAN Happen Here! Hallie Flanagan and the Federal Theatre Project at Culture Lab LIC

New Perspectives Theatre Company (NPTC) and Culture Lab LIC (CLLIC) are pleased to announce a limited run premiere of It CAN Happen Here! by Melody Brooks, Katrin Hilbe, Tess Howsam, Daniel Jacobs, and Susan Quinn, running Thursday, March 6 to Sunday, March 30, 2025. Performances are Thursday-Sunday at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on Saturday and Sunday March 29 and 30 at 2:30 p.m. 

It CAN Happen Here! is a multi-media experience that weaves together three strands of storyline: the achievements of the Federal Theatre Project, which employed tens of thousands of artists from every demographic working in every theatrical genre and which brought performances into every corner of the U.S.; the ground-breaking work of its fearless leader, Hallie Flanagan, whose vision shaped the story-telling and aesthetics of the most impactful productions; and the political consequences, which encompassed the breaking of racial and social barriers and earned the disapprobation of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), whose legacy of attacks on Theatre and the Arts continue to this day.

Ground-breaking artists from NPTC’s and CLLIC’s creative teams are collaborating with director Katrin Hilbe, to take the audience on a fast paced and stylized journey from HUAC hearings to Federal theatre performances, from Hallie’s home life to labor strikes, from the beginnings of an impossible undertaking to a triumphant success to a devastating loss. Penelope Rose Deen is Choreographer/Movement Director. Award-winning Production Designer Tess Howsam is creating a world of visual storytelling inspired by the innovative theatrical designs of the Federal Theatre and its Living Newspapers that includes shadow puppets, hand-crafted props and a wealth of images from the Library of Congress archive. Gaby FeBland is collaborating on the Puppets and Props; Matsy Stinson (Costumes), Sara Gosses (Lighting), Andy Evan Cohen (Sound) and Erwin Falcon (Projections) complete the design team. Josh Iacovelli is Technical Director; Cat Gillespie is Production Stage Manager.