Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563 of 564

The relief program went forward with great inventiveness. Other special groups, besides art, began to be discovered - the musicians and the actors. For them too, under Hopkins's very intelligent, imaginative administration, you began to hear of projects to utilize unemployed musicians to make little orchestras, bands, singing and choral clubs to entertain people. For a whole year almost the WPA orchestra played music in the Grand Central Station at the commuters' hour. Everybody loved it. It was charming. They played up there in one of those galleries. From about four in the afternoon until half past six they were playing. It was the same way in the early morning hours. That was always regarded as a very good project.

The actors' program was in much the same style.

In both of these groups they found large numbers of Negro people, who were really professional entertainers or professional musicians. They were playing in nightclubs, jazz bands, and all that sort of thing, but they had great talent and had been professionally employed in the entertainment business, as it was called. Out of those they found some extraordinary talent. They made opportunity to give them work relief by giving them the kind of work that they had been in the habit of doing.

They found a great response to all this. They put