Blog Posts by Subject: Performing Arts

The Billy Rose Theatre Division is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive this year.

White Studio was the preeminent industry photographer of commercial theatre in the first two decades of the 20th century. NYPL has over 2,000 of its images in our collection available online.

The show not only reflected the theatrical styles of the 1960s, but also demonstrated the curious place that the Broadway musical occupied in American life in the 1960s.

If this novel about 1970s California rock 'n' roll has you listening to Fleetwood Mac, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Joni Mitchell, this reading list—and Spotify playlist—is for you.

Blanche Merrill was the writer and creator of humorous songs for Fanny Brice and other vaudeville-era stars. But the archives reveal a powerful, somber work from this lyricist.

For much of its history, bugaku remained an exclusive and privileged experience, performed only at the Japanese imperial court and, very rarely, as part of religious rituals at temples or shrines.

In honor of National Poetry Month, and what would have been her 89th birthday, we celebrate the life and work of, Dr. Maya Angelou, with this Research Guide. Here, you will find an overview of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s holdings related to the work and life of this notable poet, writer, journalist, actress, and dancer.

In this letter to friends, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Julian Mayfield discusses his work on a play, world news in Ghana, and a discussion with Malcolm X.

New! This series of Schomburg Center Research Guides will provide you with resources related to various topics and subjects related to the Global Black Experience. This research guide will provide you with an overview of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s holdings related to Black dance pioneer, Katherine Dunham.

The Jerome Robbins Dance Division is pleased to belatedly announce that the final seven interviews documented with the Mertz Gilmore Foundation grant to record African dancers and choreographers working and teaching in New York are now online

Live from the Reading Room: Correspondence is a podcast series that aims to share interesting and engaging letters written by or to key historical figures from the African Diaspora.

This episode of 'Live From the Reading Room: Correspondence', recited by Trinidadian costume historian Natalya Mills-Mayrena, features a letter from Trinidadian Poet Cheryl Boyce-Taylor to a group of friends and poets. In the letter, Boyce-Taylor discusses writing, family, and publishing.

In celebration of its anniversary, a current case exhibit on the third floor of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts highlights materials related to 9 Evenings.

Hear about the latest programs and services from a cross section of NY metro area entrepreneurial resources to help you with your small business, production, career or artistic endeavor.

Today’s episode features a letter from jazz singer, dancer, and nightclub owner Ada Smith, jazz trumpeter, composer, singer, and "auto-archivist" Louis Armstrong.

The plot thickened in 2012, when I began an inventory of the Dance Division's unprocessed materials. A separate section of unprocessed material turned out to be a treasure trove of photographs and albums that had been separated from the collection upon acquisition.

Live from the Reading Room: Correspondence is a podcast series that aims to share interesting and engaging letters written by or to key historical figures from the African Diaspora.

It is too soon to tell if the next Broadway season will boast the same number of projects that star Asian-Americans, Latinos, African-Americans, deaf and disabled artists that it did this year, but it looks promising. Here’s a look at upcoming projects that are scheduled to open soon.

Ben West, founder and director of UnsungMusicalsCo., is on a mission to give new life to the lesser-known authors and works of American musical theater.