The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Videos

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will soon present the Broadway Center Stage production of CHESS, the epic rock opera about love and political intrigue set against the backdrop of the Cold War as two superpowers attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political ends.

Leonard Bernstein was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He took piano lessons as a boy and attended the Garrison and Boston Latin Schools. At Harvard University, he studied with Walter Piston, Edward Burlingame-Hill, and A. Tillman Merritt, among others. Before graduating in 1939, he made an unofficial conducting debut with his own incidental music to 'The Birds,' and directed and performed in Marc Blitzstein's 'The Cradle Will Rock.' Then at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, he studied piano with Isabella Vengerova, conducting with Fritz Reiner, and orchestration with Randall Thompson. 

Swarovski teamed up with Broadway's GIGI to add some sparkle to the show's fabulous costumes, designed by Cathy Zuber. In the video below, get a look into her atelier and discover more about the partnership between GIGI and Swarovski!

Below, Vanessa Hudgens and the cast of GIGI turned to Instagram to share their excitement over the news that they will soon be heading to the Great White Way.

Below, watch SIDE SHOW's Erin Davie and Emily Padgett perform the number 'I Will Never Leave You,' from this morning's appearance.

Oscar winner Tom Hanks was among the five people honored Sunday evening at the 2014 Kennedy Center Honors held in Washington DC. The Oscar winner spoke about what the award meant to him.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents the world premiere musical production Little Dancer in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater from October 25 to November 30, 2014. The musical features book and lyrics by Tony Award winner Lynn Ahrens, music by Tony Award winner Stephen Flaherty, and direction and choreography by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman. Press night is Thursday, November 20, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. Check out highlights of the cast in action below!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents SIDE SHOW, which runs in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater now through July 13, 2014. Click below to watch highlights from the show, plus close-ups of the company performing 'Come Look at the Freaks' and 'Who Will Love Me As I Am?'!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents Side Show that runs in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater from June 14 to July 13, 2014. Side Show features book and lyrics by Bill Russell and music byHenry Krieger, and is directed by Academy Award winner Bill Condon. Sam Davis will serve as musical director and arranger and will conduct the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. The Kennedy Center production of Side Show is produced in association with La Jolla Playhouse. Press opening night is Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. BroadwayWorld has a first look at a behind-the-scenes video below!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents a reimagined production of Side Show, set to run in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater from June 14 to July 13, 2014. Side Show features book and lyrics by Bill Russell and music byHenry Krieger, and is directed by Academy Award winner Bill Condon. Sam Davis will serve as musical director and arranger and will conduct the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. The Kennedy Center production of Side Show is produced in association with La Jolla Playhouse. Press opening night is Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. Below, check out a behind-the-scenes look at the cast's recent 'Attractions' photo shoot!

Rehearsals for the newly reimagined production of Side Show at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, running June 14 to July 13, 2014, kicked off today, with new faces joining the cast previously assembled at the La Jolla Playhouse. Below, catch up with Erin Davie and Emily Padgett, starring as the Hilton sisters, Side Show's cast and crew, and more on the first day of rehearsals!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in association with La Jolla Playhouse, presents a re-imagining of Henry Krieger and Bill Russell's Side Show. Directed by Academy Award winning director Bill Condon, the musical will play at La Jolla Playhouse now through December 17 and will open at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater in spring 2014.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in association with La Jolla Playhouse, presents a re-imagining of Henry Krieger and Bill Russell's Side Show. Directed by Academy Award winning director Bill Condon, the musical will play at La Jolla Playhouse now through December 17 and will open at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater in spring 2014. BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you exclusive highlights from the show below!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in association with La Jolla Playhouse, presents a re-imagining of Henry Krieger and Bill Russell's Side Show. Directed by Academy Award winning director Bill Condon, the musical will play at La Jolla Playhouse now through December 17 and will open at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater in spring 2014. The show was just featured in a special on KPBS, and you can go behind the scenes of the project below. Plus, check out the first video footage from the new production on stage!

Celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Penn State's College of Arts and Architecture with the modern classic MASS, Leonard Bernstein's provocative exploration of faith. Watch the video below to hear the Music and Theatre faculty discuss this special collaboration!

Raul Esparza, Jose Feliciano, Juan Diego Florez, Melanie Griffith, George Lopez, Mario Lopez, Rita Moreno, Chita Rivera, Robert Rodriguez, Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, Ballet Hispanico, Coral Contigas, Coro de Ninos de San Juan, the Esperanza Azteca Youth Orchestra, and the Pan American Symphony Orchestra headlined 'In Performance at the Kennedy Center,' an event that honored the presidential inauguration and Latino arts and culture last night, January 20. You can watch the full concert below, which included performances from a slew of Broadway favorites. Click below to check it out!

At the press event today for THE LAST SMOKER IN AMERICA, BWW couldn't resist asking Bill Russell (book and lyrics) for the scoop on the upcoming revival of SIDE SHOW. Click below to get the latest on how much of the show is being revised and more!

Today, the U.S. Department of State announced it will raise the curtain June 19 on its groundbreaking cultural diplomacy initiative, Center Stage, which brings performing artists from Haiti, Indonesia, and Pakistan to the United States to engage American audiences in 60 medium- and small-sized towns and cities. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek of the artists and their performances. Click on the video below!

In the videos below, FIRST YOU DREAM cast members James Clow and Alan H. Green talk about their journey from hometown to Broadway and the excitement of performing in the Kander & Ebb First You Dream revue at The Kennedy Center, beginning performances tonight!

The cast and director Eric Schaeffer of the musical revue First You Dream, set to open this month at the Kennedy Center, discuss the work of their show's muses, John Kander and Fred Ebb, the songwriting team who created Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Zorba, and many more Broadway hits. Watch video interviews, plus footage of the cast in reherasal, below!