{"id":427,"date":"2025-05-12T08:13:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T08:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/?page_id=427"},"modified":"2025-05-22T20:04:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T20:04:00","slug":"perry-bruskin","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/perry-bruskin\/","title":{"rendered":"Perry Bruskin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<p>Lorem Ipsum has been the industry&#8217;s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s.<\/p>\n<p>Lorem Ipsum has been the industry&#8217;s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s.<\/p>\n\n\n<span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"><p class=\"p1\" style=\"font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; max-width: none; color: rgb(20, 20, 19);\"><span style=\"font-family: Raleway, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"><strong>THE FEDERAL THEATRE PROJECT<\/strong><br><\/span><font color=\"#141413\" face=\"Helvetica\" size=\"2\"><strong style=\"color: rgb(82, 101, 168); text-transform: uppercase; font-size: large;\">PERRY BRUSKIN<\/strong><\/font><\/p><\/span>\n<span style=\"color:#000000;\"><p>Perry Bruskin<\/p><p>1916 &#8211; 2013<\/p><p>Actor for the Federal Theatre Project, later Director and Stage Manager<\/p><p>Written and Performed by: Donny Rinker<\/p><\/span><p><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Setting: New York, NY, 1937<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Perry stands before Al Rosenblum in the dressing room of the Adelphi Theatre, right before a performance of <em>The Revolt of the Beavers<\/em>. Perry defends the Federal Theatre Project due to Rosenblum&#8217;s doubt.<\/p>\n{&#8220;title&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;content&#8221;:&#8221;<iframe width=\\\"100%\\\" height=\\\"300\\\" scrolling=\\\"no\\\" frameborder=\\\"no\\\" allow=\\\"autoplay\\\" src=\\\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/2087422791%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-Pzf1vfrTdiy&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true&#038;visual=true\\\"><\/iframe><div style=\\\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-17135768\\\" title=\\\"Performing History\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" style=\\\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\\\">Performing History<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\\\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-17135768\/perry-bruskin-monologue\/s-Pzf1vfrTdiy\\\" title=\\\"Perry Bruskin Monologue\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" style=\\\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\\\">Perry Bruskin Monologue<\/a><\/div>&#8220;}\n\n\n\n\n<span style=\"color:#888888;\"><p>Look at me. I am Perry Bruskin. I\u2019m a leading man with holes in his shoes and a stomach that knows more about hunger than Hamlet knows about tragedy. And yet, here I am, about to roll on that stage and pretend like none of it matters.<\/p><p><br><\/p><p>The Federal Theatre Project\u2026 it\u2019s a godsend, they say. A lifeline for actors, for writers, for dreamers who refuse to let their craft wither like a forgotten script in some abandoned playhouse. They gave me a role, a purpose when the world was ready to toss me aside like yesterday\u2019s news. Before this? It was waiting tables, dodging eviction notices, counting pennies like they were gold coins. But the stage\u2014this stage\u2014gives me something even the longest soup line never could\u2026 dignity.<\/p><p>They don\u2019t always like what we do, though. No, sir. The papers call it propaganda, the politicians call it dangerous. But I call it truth. We put real stories on the stage, stories of workers, of struggle, of injustice. We show America its own reflection, and sometimes, she doesn\u2019t like what she sees. But isn\u2019t that the job of the artist? To hold up the mirror and say, \u201cLook\u2014this is you.\u201d<\/p><p><br><\/p><p>I may not have riches, or a name that echoes through Broadway halls, but I have this\u2014a stage, an audience, a chance to speak when so many are silenced. And maybe, just maybe, someone out there tonight will see something real, something that stirs in their bones.<\/p><p><br><\/p><p>Well, the show\u2019s about to start. Time to be someone else for a little while\u2026 or maybe, just maybe, time to be more of myself than ever.<\/p><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/perry-bruskin\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Perry Bruskin\n<\/a>&nbsp;<span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/martin-dies\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Martin Dies\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/hallie-flanagan-1935\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Hallie Flanagan (1935)\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/hallie-flanagan-1939\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Hallie Flanagan (1939)\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/rosamond-gilder\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Rosamond Gilder\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/susan-glaspell\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Susan Glaspell\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/hazel-huffman\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Hazel Huffman\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/frida-kahlo\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Frida Kahlo\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/mary-merrill\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Mary Merrill\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/virginia-nicholson\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Virginia Nicholson\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/elmer-rice\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Elmer Rice\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/eleanor-roosevelt-1935\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Eleanor Roosevelt (1935)\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/eleanor-roosevelt-1939\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Eleanor Roosevelt (1939)\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/franklin-delano-roosevelt\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Franklin Delano Roosevelt\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/olive-stanton\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Olive Stanton\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/helen-tamiris\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Helen Tamiris\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/orson-welles\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Orson Welles\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/artwork\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Artwork\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/collaborators\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Collaborators\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/directors-note\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Directors\u2019 Note\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/front-page-tableau\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Front Page Tableau\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/music\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Music\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/pen-pals\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Pen Pals\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/research-source-material\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Research\/Source Material\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/share-your-thoughts\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Share Your Thoughts\n    <\/a>\n    <span style=\"text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/span>\n  \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/special-thanks\/\" style=\"background-color: rgb(242, 243, 237); text-align: center;\">\n      Special Thanks\n    <\/a>\n  <\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-427","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":685,"href":"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/427\/revisions\/685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/performinghistory.com\/federal-theatre-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}