| Panic | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Panic-FC-1935.jpg) First edition (1935) | |
| Written by | Archibald MacLeish |
| Date premiered | March 14, 1935 |
| Place premiered | Imperial Theatre, Manhattan, New York City |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Great Depression |
| Genre | Drama |
Panic is a 1935 verse play by Archibald MacLeish. A tragedy that is one of the author's least-known works, it was written during the sixth year of the Great Depression. The drama is set during the bank panic of 1933 and concerns the fall of the world's richest man, a banker named McGafferty. First presented March 14–16, 1935, at the Imperial Theatre in Manhattan, the production featured Orson Welles's first leading performance on the American stage. Panic was produced by John Houseman and Nathan Zatkin as the first project of their new Phoenix Theatre. Sets and lighting were designed by Jo Mielziner; Martha Graham directed the movements of the chorus.