The Detroit Arts and Crafts Theater, 1916-1919

This thesis contains a detailed history of the Detroit Arts and Crafts Theater, which was in operation from 1916-1919 in Detroit, Michigan. The years of the theater's life are few; however, this thesis covers a much greater span of time. Investigated herein are the origins of the Arts and Crafts Movement, the origins of the Little Theater Movements, and a segmented history of Detroit's industrial success at the turn of the twentieth century. These historical milestones, and the people associated with them, have made up a large part of my research due to the fact that at a rare moment in history they intersected, and their intersection spawned the Detroit Arts and Crafts Theater. While in operation the Detroit Arts and Crafts Theater, an outgrowth of the Detroit Arts and Crafts Society, became, under the direction of Samuel J. Hume, the most important little theater in the entire country and, arguably, the world. Hume resigned in early 1919, leaving the theater director-less, and the members of the Arts and Crafts Society closed the theater. This thesis sheds light on one of the few golden ages in theater history, and, hopefully, offers modem day theater practitioners insight into the craft of theater making. If nothing else, my goal was to awaken the memory of the forgotten Detroit Arts and Crafts Theater, one of the most innovative, unique institutions in the history of the theater or otherwise.