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Theater

Cine Lido, Havana

These Photographs Capture Cuba’s Fading Cinema Culture

In a new book, photographer Carolina Sandretto focuses on a piece of the island’s heritage that is often overlooked

A scene from Verdi's opera Rigoletto during a photo rehearsal on the lake stage as part of the Bregenz Festival. The premiere will take place on July 17.

There’s a Massive Jester Floating on Austria’s Lake Constance

Each year at the Bregenz Festival, a set designer creates an elaborate opera stage on the water

Ali Stroker at the 73rd Annual Tony Awards

Ali Stroker Makes History, and More From the Tony Awards

The actress becomes the first wheelchair user ever to take home the coveted prize at the 73rd annual award show

The Vent Haven Museum in Kentucky is home to nearly 1,000 dummies once belonging to ventriloquists from around the world.

Inside the World’s Only Museum Dedicated to Ventriloquism

The Vent Haven Museum in Kentucky is home to nearly 1,000 dummies once brought to life by ventriloquists

"Hamilton: The Exhibition" opened at Northerly Island in Chicago on April 26, 2019.

‘Hamilton: The Exhibition’ Opens in Chicago to Eager Fans

The sweeping show uses interactive visuals, games and sets to provide an in-depth look at the history behind the hit musical

Frederic Leighton, "The Music Lesson," 1877

Connie Gilchrist Was the Shirley Temple of Victorian London

The child star captivated audiences and artists alike, served as muse for Lewis Carroll, James McNeill Whistler

A famous Enlightenment era writer and philosopher, Voltaire made a splash with his first play, Oedipe.

How Voltaire Went from Bastille Prisoner to Famous Playwright

Three hundred years ago this week, the French philosopher and writer began his career with a popular retelling of Sophocles’ ‘Oedipus’

The Bard's early life continues to be illuminated.

Cool Finds

Docs Show Shakespeare’s Father Had Legal and Financial Trouble Throughout the Bard’s Teen Years

Twenty-one documents found in the U.K.’s National Archives add context to the Bard’s feelings toward power and monarchy

Archaeologists excavate the outside areas of the Theater.

Remains of One of the First Theaters to Perform Shakespeare’s Plays Will Open to the Public After 400 Years

Excavations at the site have also unearthed a large complex that was built around the theater

Playwright Neil Simon in his Los Angeles office in 1988.

Neil Simon, Prolific Playwright and Giant of Broadway, Has Died at 91

He wrote more than 30 comedic plays, among them ‘Barefoot in the Park’ and ‘The Odd Couple’

Armenian shadow puppetry is a technique whose origins can be traced to the 1300s. The puppet theater group known as Ayrogi has set out to keep this imaginative art form alive.

Armenia

Illuminating the Shadowy Art of Armenian Puppet Theater

Tricksters and beasts dance across the imagination in these silhouetted puppet shows

Exterior of the Iroquois Theatre, Chicago, Illinois, 1903

The Iroquois Theater Disaster Killed Hundreds and Changed Fire Safety Forever

The deadly conflagration ushered in a series of reforms that are still visible today

Hundreds of theater lovers in front of the Richard Rodgers Theatre in Times Square

The Issue on the Table: Is “Hamilton” Good For History?

In a new book, top historians discuss the musical’s educational value, historical accuracy and racial revisionism

Don the Talking Dog was a vaudeville hit.

When Don the Talking Dog Took the Nation by Storm

Although he ‘spoke’ German, the vaudevillian canine captured the heart of the nation

Arthur Miller in his study, Roxbury, Connecticut, 1987.

Arthur Miller’s Vast Archive Comes to the University of Texas at Austin

The collection includes a wealth of material, from theatrical manuscripts to personal memorabilia

From left to right: Toni L. Martin (Sephronia), Harriett D. Foy (Nina Simone), Felicia Curry (Sweet Thing) and Theresa Cunningham (Sarah) in Nina Simone: Four Women, running November 10-December 24, 2017 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater.

Maverick Music Takes Center Stage in This New Play on Nina Simone

A Smithsonian expert delves into the song and struggle at the heart of ‘Four Women’ at D.C.’s Arena Stage

Gotcha!

Gulliver’s Travels Wasn’t Meant to Be a Children’s Book And More Things You Didn’t Know About the Literary Classic

Even now, 350 years after his birth, the great Irish satirist Jonathan Swift remains as sharp and relevant as ever

Dave Malloy & Rachel Chavkin

American Ingenuity Awards

These Shooting Stars of Broadway Staged the Impossible: A Musical About ‘War and Peace’

Dave Malloy and Rachel Chavkin brought the Tolstoy epic to life with Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

Members of the chorus sing their parts in a performance of Antigone in Ferguson at Normandy High School in St. Louis.

The Healing Power of Greek Tragedy

Do plays written centuries ago have the power to heal modern day traumas? A new project raises the curtain on a daring new experiment

The Acoustics of Ancient Greek Theaters Aren’t What They Used to Be

The sound quality in ancient times was likely much better than it is today

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