New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Will Open Hal Prince Exhibit This Fall!

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center announced today plans for a major exhibition examining the work of Hal Prince opening in the fall of 2019. The as-yet-untitled exhibition will document Prince's illustrious career from his early days serving as stage manager and understudy in Wonderful Town to his most recent collaborations using documents, objects, and recordings from the Library's unparalleled collections.

Curated by Doug Reside, Lewis and Dorothy Cullman Curator for the Billy Rose Theatre Division at The Library for the Performing Arts, the exhibition will explore Prince's reinvention of musical theatre from the script and score-based model created by Rodgers and Hammerstein and George Abbott to a more visual, almost cinematic art form in which the director is auteur. The exhibition will include original costumes, set models, scenic designs and archival video to illustrate Prince's fruitful engagement with designers in the theatre.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Library will produce a series of public programs to explore and highlight Prince's influential role in the history of Broadway theatre. Further, the Library will develop educational programs and tours geared to introducing young students and adults alike to Hal Prince's theatrical contributions and legacy.

The Hal Prince exhibition will be on display from September 2019 through February 2020 in the Library's Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery.

The Hal Prince exhibition is made possible by the generosity of The Schloss Family Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the Leo Shull Foundation for the Arts, Alexandra Shiva and Jonathan Marc Sherman, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Kumiko Yoshii, and Sony Masterworks.

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges the leadership support of Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman. Additional support for exhibitions has been provided by Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg and the Miriam and Harold Steinberg Foundation.

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts houses one of the world's most extensive combinations of circulating, reference, and rare archival collections in its field. These materials are available free of charge, along with a wide range of special programs, including exhibitions, seminars, and performances. An essential resource for everyone with an interest in the arts - whether professional or amateur - the Library is known particularly for its prodigious collections of non-book materials such as historic recordings, videotapes, autograph manuscripts, correspondence, sheet music, stage designs, press clippings, programs, posters and photographs. The Library is part of The New York Public Library system, which has 92 locations in the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island, and is a lead provider of free education for all.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos