Performing Arts

Leslie Odom Jr. originated the role of Aaron Burr on Broadway in Hamilton. Like the rest of the original cast, he's available to watch at home in the film, which arrives Friday on Disney+.

'Hamilton' Comes Home, Just In Time For The Fourth Of July

3:25pm June 30, 2020

by Linda Holmes

The very good movie version of Hamilton, filmed with the original cast at the height of the show's popularity, will perk up faithful cast album fans — and new viewers, too.

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phillipa Soo return as Alexander and Eliza Hamilton, the roles they played in the original Broadway production of Hamilton. A film production of the show, taped in 2016, debuts on Disney+ on Friday.

Arts

'The Past Isn't Done With Us,' Says 'Hamilton' Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda

6:17pm June 29, 2020

by Terry Gross

A film of the original Broadway production of Hamilton, taped in 2016, begins streaming on Disney+ on Friday. Miranda, who stars in the title role, says the production is as timely as ever.

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The Richard Rodgers Theater, closed due to the coronavirus, is pictured above on April 8 in New York City.

Arts

Broadway To Remain Closed For The Rest Of The Year

4:18pm June 29, 2020

by Jeff Lunden

The Broadway League, which represents theater producers and owners, has announced that none of Broadway's 41 theaters will reopen before the end of 2020.

The cast of Hamilton, including its composer and creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, center, receive a standing ovation in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Jan. 11, 2019. The musical is set to stream on Disney+ this week.

Arts

Lin-Manuel Miranda Sees The 'Language Of Revolution' In 'Hamilton' And Today

8:19am June 28, 2020

by Christianna Silva

Lin-Manuel Miranda says his musical Hamilton, which starts streaming on Disney+ this week, shows "everything that's past is present."

A 2005 portrait of actor Ian Holm, taken in London. Holm died Friday at age 88.

Arts

Actor Ian Holm, Who Played King Lear To Bilbo Baggins, Has Died

11:55am June 19, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

With a grounding in classical theater, Ian Holm became beloved by movie fans around the world, especially in the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit." He died Friday at age 88.

Frozen in time: Theater Director David Miller returned to Zeeland High School in western Michigan weeks after his students' scheduled performance, to find the set still up.

Performing In A Pandemic: Taking The High School Play Online

5:39pm June 14, 2020

by Sequoia Carrillo

Students look forward all year to their big end-of-year productions. This year, many educators got creative in helping their student shine — despite the shutdown due to COVID-19

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Arts

Inaugural Antonyo Awards To Celebrate Best Of Black Theater

8:00am June 14, 2020

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Drew Shade, founder of Broadway Black, about the first ever Antonyo Awards, highlighting the achievement of Black theatre artists.

American actor, producer and director Orson Welles speaks into a microphone during a broadcast of his CBS radio program 'First Person Singular' circa 1938.

Arts

Theaters Return To An Old Art Form — The Radio Drama — With A Twist

5:00am June 09, 2020

by Jeff Lunden

Theaters closed due to the coronavirus pandemic are struggling to get work to the public. Some are doing plays for podcast, others are turning what would have been stage works into audio drama.

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Writer and activist Larry Kramer, here in 1989, was an unapologetically loud and irrepressible voice in the fight against AIDS.

Larry Kramer, Pioneering AIDS Activist And Writer, Dies At 84

5:44pm May 27, 2020

by Neda Ulaby

Kramer was a writer with an Oscar-nominated screenplay when his friends started dying mysteriously — galvanizing him to found the Gay Men's Health Crisis, and later ACT UP, to combat AIDS.

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Arts
Economy

Shetler Studios In New York City Closes Due To Economic Downturn

6:56am May 25, 2020

by Jeff Lunden

For 30 years, Shetler Studios provided affordable space in New York's theater district for rehearsals, readings, classes and auditions. The owners can't afford to continue because of the pandemic.

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