Costumes From THE WIZ and More to be Featured in NYPL History of Black Musical Theater Exhibition

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts will present a new exhibition highlighting the history of Black musical theater. The exhibition, Syncopated Stages: Black Disruptions to the Great White Way celebrates the rich history and enduring impact of Black artists in musical theater through hundreds of items from the Library’s Billy Rose Theatre Division archives, and opens September 17, 2025 closing February 21, 2026. 

The exhibition was curated by playwright, composer, and scholar Michael D. Dinwiddie, who passed away on July 4, 2025. Throughout the planning stages, he worked closely with an advisory panel that included Caseen Gaines, Michael McElroy, A.J. Muhammad, Arminda Thomas, and Ben West, with assistance from Britt Dixon. After his passing they completed the work, honoring and extending the vision Dinwiddie began. This exhibition stands as a tribute to Dinwiddie’s legacy and vision.

Tracing the evolution of Black musical theater from its early roots to contemporary works, the exhibition highlights the contributions of groundbreaking artists such as Eubie Blake, Vinnette Carroll, Micki Grant, George C. Wolfe, and Langston Hughes, along with iconic productions including Shuffle Along, Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, The Wiz, and A Strange Loop. 

Highlights include:

Archival footage of performances and interviews with artists
Photographs of artists and performers from 1825 to the present
Original set designs from productions including Shuffle Along and The Wild Party
Costume designs from musicals such as Dreamgirls, Jelly’s Last Jam, and The Color Purple
A scale model of the historic African Grove Theatre, the first known Black theater venue in the United States
Original costumes from The Wiz and A Strange Loop

Although the common nickname for Broadway, “the Great White Way,” refers, historically, to its dazzling lights, the phrase also suggests the ways in which many histories of New York theater center white artists. Black artists, though, have been important shapers of musical theater in the United States before the electric light was ever used on stage. In the early 20th century, Black composers and writers created many popular musicals in New York that helped define the genre, setting it apart from 19th-century traditions. New forms of syncopation, the disruption of the dominant rhythm, and narratives composed and written by Black artists challenged the prevailing sounds and depictions of Black people on stage. These innovations were more than stylistic. They pushed back against exclusion and stereotype, laying the groundwork for generations of Black artists whose contributions have reshaped Broadway. Syncopated Stages spotlights their work, acknowledges the challenges they faced, and celebrates the brilliance of what they made—exploring how Black artists transformed the New York stage and how their work still reverberates today.

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