Living Newspaper

a public presentation, based on newspaper articles or controversial contemporary issues. This type of production was usually presented by amateur dramatic clubs. It grew out of the so-called oral newspaper— the oral presentation of articles and information from the press by one or more readers, which was a widespread practice at the front during the Civil War (1918–20). The living newspaper took shape in the early 1920’s and became one of the most widely used forms of propaganda through art. It included monologues, choral recitation, chastushki (short humorous poems), and topical satire. The first professional group of this kind, the Blue Blouse, was formed in 1923. The traditions of this genre were revived in the 1960’s and 1970’s by the so-called oral journals.