History

Plays for Living was founded by the American Theater Wing in 1942 during the Second World War, as the “Victory Players.” It grew out of the entertainment field’s official Speaker’s Bureau charged with promoting war bonds, the Red Cross and the U.S.O. The Victory Players were actors who eagerly volunteered their talents for the war effort. They created and performed one-act plays to promote patriotism and also address social issues such as the needs of returning veterans and the wartime fears of children.

After the war the Victory Players became the “Community Players” under the direction of Broadway stars such as Katherine Cornell, Vera Allen and Ethel Barrymore. They collaborated with equally famous sociologists and psychologists such as Dr. Margaret Mead, Cornelia Otis Skinner and Dr. William Menninger to develop and perform in plays mostly on domestic and psychological issues. In 1948 they produced a play called “The Universal Heckler” for the 25th anniversary of the Orthopsychiatric Association. This was the first time group discussion following the performance was introduced. The play and the discussion attracted hundreds of parent-teacher groups and mental health organizations to the Community Players.

From 1946 through June, 1958, 47 unique scripts were created and performed over 2,000 times. Thirty one of these scripts were aimed at PTA’s. In 1959 the Community Players became an official division of the Family Service Association of America under the name Plays for Living, evolving as an enduring part of the adult education movement. In 1985 PFL and the Family Service Association decided to go their separate ways and PFL became an independent entity.

During the past 22 years PFL has been the recipient of several awards for excellence, including the United States Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the New York State Governor’s Art Award, the Theatre World Award, the Golden Reel Award from the International Television Association and the American Psychological Association Public Media Award. The organization has performed for visiting dignitaries at the White House in Washington, D.C. on two occasions. Past company members have included Alan Alda, Colleen Dewhurst, Julie Harris, Phylicia Rashad, Richard Widmark, Anne Seymour, Ruby Dee and Jean Stapleton.