ABOUT

ABOUT

Songcatchers is a theatrical presentation integrating folk music, American history, and photography honoring the visual and performing artists and song collectors of the Great Depression. During this time period, these “songcatchers” and photographers were supported by programs initiated during Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, endeavoring the capture the creative spirit and artistic expressions of the “common folk.” The theatrical presentation is created and written by Dr. Andy Krikun, Prof. John La Barbera, and Dr. Jorge Arevalo Mateus offers a contemporary perspective on the role that folk music played during the years of the Great Depression, demonstrating the impact that songwriters, performers, and folklorists had on the development of American music and on the importance of musicians and songwriters creating music that commented on salient social and political issues still relevant today. The educational presentation provides an overview of the musical instruments used in American folk music as well as an introduction to the music of Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, and the Carter Family, as well as folklorists such as Alan Lomax.