54 Items Tagged

Theater

Adriano Celentano performing in 1970.

The Deep Roots of an Italian Song That Sounds Like English—But Is Just Nonsense

In 1972, fascination with American culture spurred an Italian showman to revive a medieval comic tradition.

Vittoria Traverso March 31, 2023

The Sweetest Sounds of 2017

From lost languages to rediscovered songs to music made by robots, the year certainly won't go quietly.

Ashawnta Jackson December 14, 2017

The Juliertheatre.

Surses, Switzerland

Juliertheatre

A tower-like theater in the Swiss Alps built to withstand the high winds and avalanches of the mountain pass.

A rendering of the Container Globe in action.

Staging Shakespeare in Shipping Containers

The "Container Globe" project wants to use modern materials to bring back some of the Bard's 17th-century zing.

Cara Giaimo October 24, 2017

The Wurlitzer 4/26, named for its four keyboards and 26 sets of different sounding pipes.

In Brooklyn, a Rare Concert Organ Takes a (Hopefully Temporary) Bow

Long Island University's 1928 Wurlitzer will go quiet for at least the next two years.

Ashawnta Jackson October 24, 2017

A scene from <em>Driveway Follies</em>.

31 days of halloween

Every Halloween, an Oakland Man Stages Spooky Marionette Shows in His Driveway

Larry Schmidt has been offering the free performances at his California home for over a decade.

Rick Paulas October 20, 2017

A photo of Marlon Brando's <em>The Godfather</em> script. The film's screenplays were copied at Studio Duplication Service.

The Small Script-Copying Service That Powered NYC Entertainment for Decades

Among many other jobs, Studio Duplicating staff did frenzied, last-minute typing for Saturday Night Live.

Erin Schreiner October 11, 2017

Puppet performance of “The Seven Ravens,” a German folk tale by the Brothers Grimm, in which a young girl travels the world to look for her seven brothers, who have been turned into ravens.

All the World's a Puppet Show at France's Biannual Festival

The international event's roots go back to a puppeteer who entertained kids during the Nazi occupation.

Vittoria Traverso September 22, 2017

A Torelli set known as “Sea with Ships seen through a Rocky Cavern." Likely originally designed for a failed 1647 production of <em>Orpheus</em>, it was reused in 1650 for <em>Andromeda</em>.

How a 17th-Century Naval Engineer Revolutionized Set Design

Giacomo Torelli and his magnificent sub-stage machine.

Cara Giaimo September 5, 2017

An undated photograph of Aldridge as Othello (cropped).

The 19th-Century African-American Actor Who Conquered Europe

And why you might never have heard of Ira Aldridge.

Natasha Frost August 7, 2017

Stara Elektrarna.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Stara Elektrarna (The Old Power Station)

A relic from the Industrial Revolution got a second life as a contemporary performing arts space.

An astrological instrument used by the monk.

Sainshand, Mongolia

Danzanravjaa Museum

Hidden treasures belonging to Mongolia's most revered and multi-talented monk spent decades buried in the Gobi desert.

A Wicked booth

New York, New York

Broadway Flea Market

An annual extravaganza of Broadway theater memorabilia.

Chesterfield, New Hampshire

Madame Sherri's Castle

Ruins of the elaborate house where the enigmatic costume designer threw glamorous parties for New York's theatrical elite.

Al Hirschfeld's drawing desk and chair

New York, New York

Al Hirschfeld's Desk and Chair

From this desk Al Hirschfeld drew his influential caricatures of the 20th century's Broadway stars.

A panoramic view of the stage from the back of the balcony.

New York, New York

United Palace Theatre

One of the last Jazz Age "Wonder Theaters" in New York City.

Water puppet show

Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre

Home of the unusual art of water puppetry, one of Vietnam's oldest curiosities.

America's Largest Outdoor Theatre Event Features 700 Lip Syncing Mormons

The annual Hill Cumorah Pageant is the real Book of Mormon.

Michael Schulson August 3, 2016