Performing Arts | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/performing-arts/RSS feed for Performing ArtsenFri, 17 Apr 2026 18:46:49 +0000Shakespeare's House in London Was Lost to History. A Scholar Discovered a Map in the Archives That Revealed Its Exact Locationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shakespeares-house-in-london-was-lost-to-history-a-scholar-discovered-a-map-in-the-archives-that-revealed-its-exact-location-180988566/The Bard purchased the property three years before his death in 1616. Had he hoped to spend more time in the city where he wrote his best-known plays?Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:46:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shakespeares-house-in-london-was-lost-to-history-a-scholar-discovered-a-map-in-the-archives-that-revealed-its-exact-location-180988566/Andrew Lloyd Webber Says He's Writing a New Musical About the Time the 'Mona Lisa' Vanished Without a Trace in 1911https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/andrew-lloyd-webber-says-hes-writing-a-new-musical-about-the-time-the-mona-lisa-vanished-without-a-trace-in-1911-180988559/Known for spectacles like "The Phantom of the Opera," Broadway's most commercially successful composer now wants to tell the story of the world's most famous paintingFri, 17 Apr 2026 10:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/andrew-lloyd-webber-says-hes-writing-a-new-musical-about-the-time-the-mona-lisa-vanished-without-a-trace-in-1911-180988559/Mei Lanfang Was Famous for His Masterful Performances as Female Leads. In the 1930s, He Introduced American Audiences to the World of Chinese Operahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/mei-lanfang-was-famous-for-his-masterful-performances-as-female-leads-in-the-1930s-he-introduced-american-audiences-to-the-world-of-chinese-opera-180988340/He is considered one of China’s greatest 20th-century opera performers, and his influence on the art form is still felt todayFri, 13 Mar 2026 17:45:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/mei-lanfang-was-famous-for-his-masterful-performances-as-female-leads-in-the-1930s-he-introduced-american-audiences-to-the-world-of-chinese-opera-180988340/You Can Buy Salvador Dalí's Largest Painting, a 100-Foot-Long Artwork Made for a Ballet in 1939https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-buy-salvador-dalis-largest-painting-a-100-foot-long-artwork-made-for-a-ballet-in-1939-180988294/The Surrealist artist created the massive piece for a production called "Bacchanale." It's expected to fetch up to $348,000 at auctionFri, 06 Mar 2026 20:03:50 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-buy-salvador-dalis-largest-painting-a-100-foot-long-artwork-made-for-a-ballet-in-1939-180988294/Sting's Musical 'The Last Ship' Docks at the Metropolitan Opera House More Than a Decade After Its Broadway Debuthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stings-musical-the-last-ship-docks-at-the-metropolitan-opera-house-more-than-a-decade-after-its-broadway-debut-180987734/The reimagined production follows the decline of the shipbuilding industry in Wallsend, England, where Sting grew upMon, 01 Dec 2025 19:28:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stings-musical-the-last-ship-docks-at-the-metropolitan-opera-house-more-than-a-decade-after-its-broadway-debut-180987734/Car Backs Up Into Home Where Shakespeare's Daughter Lived, Causing Serious Damagehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/car-backs-up-into-home-where-shakespeares-daughter-lived-causing-serious-damage-180987570/Hall's Croft, once the residence of Susanna Shakespeare, is now in stable condition as experts assess the repairs that will be requiredMon, 27 Oct 2025 14:33:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/car-backs-up-into-home-where-shakespeares-daughter-lived-causing-serious-damage-180987570/Trailblazing Dancer Misty Copeland Performs One Last Time Before Retiring From the American Ballet Theaterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/trailblazing-dancer-misty-copeland-performs-one-last-time-before-retiring-from-the-american-ballet-theater-180987564/The ballerina has advocated for dancers of color on and off stage. In a farewell gala this week, she celebrated her accomplishments—and discussed what comes nextFri, 24 Oct 2025 14:25:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/trailblazing-dancer-misty-copeland-performs-one-last-time-before-retiring-from-the-american-ballet-theater-180987564/David Bowie Spent His Final Months Writing a Musical Inspired by Satire and Crime in 18th-Century Londonhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/david-bowie-spent-his-final-months-writing-a-musical-inspired-by-satire-and-crime-in-18th-century-london-180987304/Archivists discovered notes for the project, called "The Spectator," in the artist's New York City office after he died in 2016Mon, 15 Sep 2025 19:05:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/david-bowie-spent-his-final-months-writing-a-musical-inspired-by-satire-and-crime-in-18th-century-london-180987304/Sweden Releases an Official Cultural Canon That Features IKEA and 'Pippi Longstocking'—but Not ABBAhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sweden-releases-an-official-cultural-canon-that-featutes-ikea-and-pippi-longstocking-but-no-abba-180987298/Critics of the list, which features 100 artworks and other cultural creations from before 1975, say the selections are exclusionaryMon, 08 Sep 2025 18:19:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sweden-releases-an-official-cultural-canon-that-featutes-ikea-and-pippi-longstocking-but-no-abba-180987298/A Vibrant Mural Celebrating Josephine Baker's 'Two Loves'—‘My Country and Paris'—Has Been Unveiled in Francehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-vibrant-mural-celebrating-josephine-bakers-two-loves-my-country-and-paris-has-been-unveiled-in-france-180987029/The colorful street art, which features a quote from one of her songs, honors the iconic singer, dancer and civil rights activist's enduring legacyWed, 23 Jul 2025 20:05:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-vibrant-mural-celebrating-josephine-bakers-two-loves-my-country-and-paris-has-been-unveiled-in-france-180987029/