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You might recognize Folger Shakespeare Library's new resident (CT+)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 12: Adjoa Andoh attends the "Bridgerton" Season Part two special screening at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on June 12, 2024 in London, England. Lia Toby/Getty Images/Lia Toby/Getty Images hide caption

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Consider This from NPR

You might recognize Folger Shakespeare Library's new resident (CT+)

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC is home to the world’s largest Shakespeare collection. That’s where host Juana Summers recently met Adjoa Andoh, one of the stars of the hit TV series “Bridgerton."

You might recognize Folger Shakespeare Library's new resident (CT+)

Ciarán Hinds as "Gerry" and Lesley Manville as "Stella" in director Polly Findlay's Midwinter Break.

Ciarán Hinds as Gerry and Lesley Manville as Stella in director Polly Findlay's Midwinter Break. Mark de Blok/Focus Features hide caption

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Mark de Blok/Focus Features

Movie Interviews

Lesley Manville says her stage and screen careers 'feed each other'

The decorated British actress discusses her new film Midwinter Break, her role in Oedipus on Broadway and how she balances stage and screen.

Actress Lesley Manville talks about new marriage drama 'Midwinter Break'

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From left: Gaulier students Alayna Perry, Brian Byrne and Joseph Bucci receive feedback on a short skit involving a pie in the face.

From left: Gaulier students Alayna Perry, Brian Byrne and Joseph Bucci receive feedback on a short skit involving a pie in the face. Rebecca Rosman for NPR hide caption

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Rebecca Rosman for NPR

Europe

At a clown school near Paris, failure is the lesson

For decades, students at the Ecole Philippe Gaulier have been paying to bomb onstage. The goal isn't laughs — it's learning how to take the humiliation and keep going.

What a visit to a French clown school reveals about clowning

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Tom Stoppard's plays include Arcadia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and The Coast of Utopia. He's pictured above in London in 2017.

Tom Stoppard's plays include Arcadia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and The Coast of Utopia. He's pictured above in London in 2017. Justin Tallis/WPA Pool/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Tallis/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Obituaries

Acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard dies at 88

Tom Stoppard is remembered as a playwright whose wit and curiosity reshaped modern theater.

Acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard dies at 88

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In 1981, Stephen Sondheim's 'Merrily' was a flop -- now it's a hit

A filmed version of the live production of Merrily We Roll Along will open in theaters on Dec. 5. We listen back to a 2024 interview with revival director Maria Friedman and actor Jonathan Groff.

FA: Merrily We Roll Along revival

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A puppeteer plays a mourning mother in Gaza during a performance of Our Domestic Resurrection Revolution In Progress! in Ypsilanti, Mich.

A puppeteer plays a mourning mother in Gaza during a performance of Our Domestic Resurrection Revolution In Progress! in Ypsilanti, Mich. Timothy Chen Allen hide caption

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Timothy Chen Allen

Performing Arts

Bread and Puppet Theater is still working to 'make the revolution irresistible'

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.

Bread and Puppet Theater is still working to ‘make the revolution irresistible’

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"Happy To Be Here" cast member performs during the screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show during the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 25 in Hollywood, California.

"Happy To Be Here" cast member performs during the screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show during the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 25 in Hollywood, California. Jesse Grant/Getty Images hide caption

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Culture

I remember doing the Time Warp: The 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' turns 50

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.

Shiver with antici...pation: 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' turns 50

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Ro Boddie as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stephen Conrad Moore as Bayard Rustin in the 2025 Ford's Theatre production of The American Five, directed by Aaron Posner.

Ro Boddie as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stephen Conrad Moore as Bayard Rustin in the 2025 Ford's Theatre production of The American Five, directed by Aaron Posner in Washington, D.C. Scott Suchman hide caption

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Scott Suchman

Interview highlights

A new play explores the story behind the March on Washington

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.

'The American Five' explores the untold story behind the March on Washington

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Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in a revival of Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot"

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in a revival of Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" Andy Henderson/DKC O&M hide caption

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Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter go on a new excellent adventure: 'Waiting for Godot'

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."

'Bill & Ted' actors Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter reunite for 'Waiting for Godot'

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Street performers entertain passersby on the Royal Mile as crowds of entertainers and festival-goers gather for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Aug. 1, 2025. The Fringe, one of the world's largest performing arts festivals, features over 3,800 shows across 265 venues and draws an audience of roughly 3 million visitors.

Street performers entertain passersby on the Royal Mile as crowds of entertainers and festival-goers gather for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Aug. 1, 2025. The Fringe, one of the world's largest performing arts festivals, features over 3,800 shows across 265 venues and draws an audience of roughly 3 million visitors. Ewan Bootman/Anadolu via Getty Images hide caption

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Ewan Bootman/Anadolu via Getty Images

Culture

Is Edinburgh's Fringe still fringe, or has it — gasp — gone mainstream?

It began on the edgy margins of a mainstream festival — which it's now eclipsed. But nearly 80 years on, performers and spectators say rising costs threaten the Fringe's alternative vibe.

Is Edinburgh's Fringe still fringe, or has it — gasp — gone mainstream?

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Theater Kid, by Jeffrey Seller
Simon & Schuster

'Hamilton' producer Jeffrey Seller traces his journey from 'Theater Kid' to Broadway

Seller has been a key behind-the-scenes figure for some of Broadway's biggest hits including, Hamilton and Rent, but he got his start on a much smaller scale. He looks back in a new memoir.

'Hamilton' producer Jeffrey Seller traces his journey from 'Theater Kid' to Broadway

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 18: Members of the public watch Rachel Zegler perform "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" live on the balcony as she plays Eva Peron in "Evita" at the London Palladium on June 18, 2025 in London, England.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 18: Members of the public watch Rachel Zegler perform "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" live on the balcony as she plays Eva Peron in "Evita" at the London Palladium on June 18, 2025 in London, England. Belinda Jiao/Getty Images hide caption

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Belinda Jiao/Getty Images

State of the World from NPR

Evita Sings for the People in London; Gangs in Peru Target Schools

As part of a broader crime wave in Peru that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, gangs have begun targeting private schools in poorer neighborhoods for extortion. We hear how administrators and parents are dealing with the threats. And in London's West End, you don't need a ticket to witness the soaring signature song for the musical Evita. It is performed nightly in the street. We attend a recent performance.

Evita Sings for the People in London; Gangs in Peru Target Schools

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Taken by a fish-eye lens, this photograph shows the grand staircase of the Palais Garnier in Paris on Dec. 9, 2024.

Taken by a fish-eye lens, this photograph shows the grand staircase of the Palais Garnier in Paris on Dec. 9, 2024. Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images

State of the World from NPR

Paris' Iconic Opera House Celebrates 150 Years

Commissioned by Napoleon, the opulent Opera Garnier is named after its architect, Charles Garnier. Garnier rose from the Paris slums to design one of Europe's most celebrated venues. Opera Garnier eventually became the inspiration for the novel and musical, "Phantom of the Opera."

Paris' Iconic Opera House Celebrates 150 Years

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Helen J Shen and Darren Criss in the new, Tony-nominated musical Maybe Happy Ending

Helen J Shen and Darren Criss in Maybe Happy Ending, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical.
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Evan Zimmerman/Maybe Happy Ending

Performing Arts

Broadway celebrates a spectacular season at the 2025 Tony Awards

No one show swept this year — and it turns out, that's a good thing.

Broadway celebrates a spectacular season at the 2025 Tony Awards

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Mary Todd Lincoln as a cabaret star? How Cole Escola's 'stupid' dream came true

"This play is about a woman with a dream that no one around her understands," Cole Escola says of their Tony-nominated play Oh, Mary! Grapevine PR
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Grapevine PR

Mary Todd Lincoln as a cabaret star? How Cole Escola's 'stupid' dream came true

Escola gives the former first lady a wild second act in the Tony-nominated play Oh, Mary! "This play is about a woman with a dream that no one around her understands," Escola says.

Mary Todd Lincoln as a cabaret star? How Cole Escola's 'stupid' dream came true

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"I don't know what comes after this, what tops this overstimulation of characters," Sarah Snook says of her work in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

"I don't know what comes after this, what tops this over stimulation of characters," Sarah Snook says of her work in The Picture of Dorian Gray. hide caption

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1 show, 26 characters: Sarah Snook shares the stage with herself in 'Dorian Gray'

Snook, who played Shiv Roy on Succession, was just nominated for a Tony for playing all the characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray on Broadway. "I don't know what comes after this," she says.

1 show, 26 characters: Sarah Snook shares the stage with herself in 'Dorian Gray'

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Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd.

Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. Marc Brenner hide caption

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Marc Brenner

Performing Arts

2025 Tony nominations are out — and they're full of celebrities

Broadway isn't just back — it's raising the bar. Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her and Maybe Happy Ending tied for most nominations. Plus, nods to George Clooney, Nicole Scherzinger and more.

2025 Tony nominations are out — and they're full of celebrities

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Left to right: Alana Arenas (Morgan), Kara Young (Aziza), Harry Lennix (Solomon), LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Claudine), Glenn Davis (Junior) and Jon Michael Hill (Naz) perform in a Broadway production of the play Purpose, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Phylicia Rashad.

Left to right: Alana Arenas (Morgan), Kara Young (Aziza), Harry Lennix (Solomon), LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Claudine), Glenn Davis (Junior) and Jon Michael Hill (Naz) perform in a Broadway production of the play Purpose, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Phylicia Rashad. Marc J. Franklin, 2025 hide caption

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Marc J. Franklin, 2025

A civil rights leader's family airs its dirty laundry on Broadway in 'Purpose'

"Purpose" by playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, now on Broadway under the direction of longtime actress Phylicia Rashad, explores the generational conflicts in the civil rights movement.

A civil rights leader's family airs its dirty laundry on Broadway in 'Purpose'

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