Managing the stage: the Phil Friedman papers, 1936-1987
Actors, directors, and playwrights are often given the most audible recognition for successes on stage, but perhaps one of the least lauded roles is that of the stage manager. From … Continue reading
Golden Boy at the Tonys
This Sunday, an estimated six million theater lovers will gather around their television sets for the live broadcast of the 67th Antoinette Perry (Tony) Awards, the annual event honoring Broadway … Continue reading
100 years of the Actors’ Equity Association
Look at the cast list in any theater program across the country and you will see a small * beside a performer’s name leading to a footnote indicating the performer … Continue reading
The curious case of the Carolyn Capers
In the normal course of my day as Theater Archivist for the Museum of the City of New York, I can count on encountering objects that impress, interest, inform, or … Continue reading
What the Academy Took from Broadway
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was born 86 years ago this June. Its conception was announced at a banquet dinner, and all 36 attendees were named founding … Continue reading
Theater timecapsule – Greatest hits of 1912-1913 season
Talking about a Broadway blockbuster today requires a discourse on the song and dance numbers involved. The musical reigns supreme at the Broadway box office, but this wasn’t always the … Continue reading
Eugene O’Neill: the sailor, the sickness, the stage
In December 1912, a young man experiencing the onset of tuberculosis committed himself to Gaylord Sanatorium in Connecticut. The third son of a well known Irish-American actor, the young man … Continue reading
Forbidden Broadway circa 1900: a look back at lampooning.
Forbidden Broadway is back again this Fall with a new “Alive and Kicking” addition gleefully lampooning the current offerings of the Great White Way. A revue show first conceived in … Continue reading
Peter Pan: over 100 years of the boy who wouldn’t grow up
Wendy Darling: Boy, why are you crying? Boy: What’s your name? Wendy: Wendy Moira Angela Darling. What is your name? Boy: Peter Pan. Wendy: Is that all? Peter Pan: Yes. … Continue reading
“The God of Vengeance”: Is the Play Immoral?
A father lives with his wife and teenage daughter above the brothel that he owns. It’s a simple story. A young girl is drawn to a world forbidden her. A … Continue reading
Lincoln’s last play; or, the continuing fascination with “Our American Cousin”
A distant cousin stands to inherit a large British estate on the brink of financial ruin. Sound familiar? The main storyline from the phenomenally popular British series “Downton Abbey” shares … Continue reading
Treasures and “Shandas” from the Collection on Yiddish theater
In the early decades of the twentieth century, the streets of the Lower East Side were plastered with theatrical advertisements for Der yidisher kenig lir and Mentsh un Tayvl. Second … Continue reading
MCNY Blog: New York Stories 