NPR’s latest on the performing arts

Most of us have a venue we love — a theater or concert space — where we really feel at home. But what do you do if that place goes through radical changes?
Author: Elizabeth Blair
Posted: October 6, 2025, 8:47 pm
The decades-old radical troupe Bread and Puppet, famed for its protest art including giant puppets, is touring again — mixing circus, politics and bread in a sharply polarized moment.
Author: Neda Ulaby
Posted: October 6, 2025, 7:00 pm
Fifty years ago, on Sept. 26, 1975, The Rocky Horror Picture Show flopped at the U.S. box office — then became the longest-running theatrical release in history.
Author: Alice Woelfle
Posted: September 26, 2025, 9:00 am
Chess Jakobs' new play "The American Five" tells the story of how Martin Luther King Jr. and his closest allies planned the March on Washington. NPR speaks with Jakobs and Ro Boddie, who plays King.
Author: Michel Martin
Posted: September 24, 2025, 8:38 am
Artists from abroad are worried that the current climate is making American tours not worth the time and effort.
Author: Anastasia Tsioulcas
Posted: September 18, 2025, 7:34 pm
In one of the most buzzed-about productions of the Broadway season, former Bill & Ted actors Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter unite once again in "Waiting for Godot."
Author: Phil Harrell
Posted: September 17, 2025, 9:00 am
The secret to his success isn't just genius — it's collaboration a lot of creative friends. Author Daniel Pollack-Pelzner interviewed more than 150 people for his biography about the Hamilton creator.
Author: Jennifer Vanasco
Posted: September 12, 2025, 3:12 pm
Twenty dance projects from around the country won grants totaling $100,000 dollars each today. These grants are among the most coveted in the dance world, but this round of winners is the last of its kind due to a funding shortage.
Author: Elizabeth Blair
Posted: September 9, 2025, 9:01 pm
The UnitedHealthcare CEO's alleged killer was in the same Brooklyn jail as Diddy and Sam Bankman-Fried. A satirical comedy about their jailhouse vibe is selling out theaters — and raising eyebrows.
Author: Fatima Al-Kassab
Posted: September 9, 2025, 8:47 pm
Ed People hasn't had any professional dance training, but he can definitely bust a move. The social media influencer says the goal of his global dance project is to "bring joy" and "build bridges."
Author: Elizabeth Blair
Posted: August 27, 2025, 9:41 pm