Performing Arts

Arts

How Women Have Been 'Profoundly' Left Out Of The U.S. Constitution

1:50pm October 16, 2020

by Terry Gross

As a teen, Heidi Schreck debated the Constitution in competitions. A film of her Broadway play, What the Constitution Means to Me, is now available on Amazon Prime. Originally broadcast March 2019.

Queue Listen Now

2 Broadway Stars Grapple With COVID And ALS: 'We're Adapting To A New Reality'

1:29pm October 14, 2020

by Terry Gross

Married Broadway stars Danny Burstein and Rebecca Luker both contracted COVID in the spring. Burstein was hospitalized. Luker's case was less severe, but it came soon after she was diagnosed with ALS.

Queue Listen Now

Ballet Hispánico celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. It was founded in 1970 by Tina Ramirez.

Arts

Ballet Hispánico Celebrates 50 Years As Ambassadors Of Latinx Dance

5:03pm October 12, 2020

by Jeff Lunden

The dance company features work of Latinx choreographers, as well as a robust educational outreach program. It was just awarded a $4 million grant from the Ford Foundation.

The performing arts remain in economic peril as Broadway extends closures until May due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Broadway's Reopening Is Pushed Back Again

1:39pm October 09, 2020

by Andrew Limbong

The Broadway League has announced an extension of closures related to COVID-19 to May.

The MacArthur 'Genius Grant' winners for 2020.

Amidst Global Troubles, MacArthur 'Genius Grant' Winners 'Provoke And Inspire'

4:11pm October 06, 2020

by Petra Mayer

This year's MacArthur Fellows — recipients of what's commonly called the Genius Grant — include artists, scientists, dancers and more. They'll each receive a no-strings-attached $625,000 award.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest ... you know what, never mind. I'm good." Michael (Jim Parsons) and Donald (Matt Bomer) in The Boys in the Band.

Arts

'The Boys In The Band': Raging Gracefully

5:02pm September 30, 2020

by Glen Weldon

Netflix's adaptation of Mart Crowley's 1968 play about a gay birthday party that goes off the rails features hard liquor, sharp tongues and broad types.

Arts

Kennedy Center To Hold First Live Event Since Spring

7:47am September 26, 2020

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Renee Fleming and Vanessa Williams about performing in the Kennedy Center's first live performance since spring.

"I'm not sure how the country will survive," said Alexandre Garnizé, 48, a historian and musician who plays African and Brazilian percussion.

Rio's Joyous Carnival, The World's Largest, Is Postponed Due To COVID-19

3:09pm September 25, 2020

by Marisa Peñaloza

The postponement will cause financial hardship for people who depend on the celebration — but "financial loss doesn't justify human loss," says one musician. Brazil has been hit hard by the virus.

"I'm a comedian. I'm not here to be agreed with," says Colin Quinn. "In fact, if you came up to me and said, 'You're not funny, but I agree with you,' I'd be offended because I'm here to make people laugh. ... It's much more powerful than somebody agreein

Books
Arts

In A 'Coast-To-Coast Roast,' Colin Quinn Finds Humor In The State We're In

4:16pm September 21, 2020

by Elizabeth Blair

As a veteran stand-up comedian, Quinn has spent decades on the road, performing in 47 out of the 50 states he now affectionately eviscerates in his new book, Overstated.

Queue Listen Now

The Public Theater in New York has been closed since March 12, but is still producing plays on Zoom, radio and film. "Just because conditions are hard, it doesn't let us off the hook; it doesn't free us of the obligation to try to fulfill our mission," sa

Arts

What Will The Future Of Theater Look Like? 'Our Artists Are Going To Lead Us'

5:28pm September 20, 2020

by Jeff Lunden

It's hard to predict exactly how theater will come back after the pandemic, but here are a couple guesses: Fewer crowds, more collective imagination, and a focus on racial and environmental justice.

Queue Listen Now