History as Was

Yale Repertory Theatre has revealed its 2026-27 season. 2026-27 kicks off with August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom in October, and will be followed by world premieres and more.

What is a pro-shot and how is it different than an adapted film? Pro-shot is an abbreviation for professionally shot, denoting a stage play that was captured in its native habitat: a theatre. In general, a pro-shot seeks to film the exact experience that audience members would have at a live performance of the show, in contrast with a feature film which actually adapts the piece into a new form, including different locations, the removal of theatrical aesthetic, and changes to make the script work as a film as opposed to as a live theatrical show.

TheatreZone announced its 2026–2027 season featuring six musicals and four concerts, including a world premiere by Naples-based playwright Mike Ruffolo and one of the first regional productions of HARMONY following its Broadway run.

Asolo Repertory Theatre has announced its 2026/2027 Season — a celebration of 1927, the year John Ringling moved the 'Greatest Show on Earth' to Sarasota. Learn more about the lineup here!

This history gives context to the legacies of theatrical dynasties—considered to consist of at least three subsequent generations of theatre creators. In 2026, there is a stigma around any successful professional who follows a parent into their line of work, with this being seen as a pattern of nepotism.

For the past two seasons, 14 or 15 new musicals have opened on Broadway. Even in the challenging first two seasons coming out of the pandemic, Broadway saw 8 or 9 new musicals opening. And in the last four full seasons prior to the pandemic, Broadway saw an average of 11 new musicals per season. What gives?

The Jewish Museum and Film at Lincoln Center have announced the full lineup for the 35th annual New York Jewish Film Festival, returning to the Walter Reade Theater in Manhattan.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum will present its Winter/Spring 2026 Weekend Concert Series, a fifteen-concert season curated by Abrams Curator of Music George Steel.

With frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in the news due to actor Bruce Willis fighting the disease for several years, I decided to speak with playwright Jake Broder, an Atlantic Fellow at the Global Brain Health Institute, about his motivation to create Unravelled and his research on the disease.

The Sound of Music is a veritable old warhorse of the Broadway musical canon, and it has stood the test of the vicissitudes of time. No amount of changing source material, cynicism, saccharine, or negativity can puncture the universal themes of familial love, romantic love, devotion spirituality, perseverance, forgiveness, and devotion that permeate this beloved musical. These universal themes have resonated with audiences from time immemorial---and are especially pertinent in today’s polarized times. 

This October, Gretna Theatre dares audiences to step into the shadows for a one-of-a-kind autumn tradition. The immersive experience blurs the line between theatre and folklore..

Broadway currently boasts 41 theaters. This number has always been ever-changing—since even before the first time the word “Broadway” was used to describe professional theater in New York.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been taped at the Ed Sullivan Theatre located on Broadway between 53rd and 54th Streets since it began in 2015. Before the Broadway-loving Colbert took over The Late Show, the host was David Letterman, who ruled late night from 1993 onward via his perch at 1697 Broadway.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum will continue its Fall 2025 Weekend Concert Series, presenting the Junction Trio in September. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

In many of America’s cities, theatre history exists in plain sight. Whether inside a museum or on a street corner, fascinating pieces of theatre lore exist, waiting to be discovered by an interested passerby. Here are ten inspiring displays of theatre history I saw up close and in person this summer, from New York City to Washington D.C. and beyond. You can visit them too—and many are free to see! 

The League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT) has bestowed the 'Outstanding Historic Theatre Award' to Jacksonville's very own Florida Theatre! Learn more here.

The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, will return to the Great Stage at Radio City Music Hall this holiday season to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Rockettes. Learn more here!

For years, Broadway musicals have spawned multiple film adaptations, from the early days of cinema to Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story. Take a look at our list of 15 musicals that have danced their way to the screen more than once!

Second Stage Theatre’s 43rd Street off-Broadway house, right near 8th Avenue, recently changed hands and is now the home of Studio Seaview . Seaview’s first production in the space is Angry Alan, starring John Krasinski. They have renovated and updated the space since Second Stage switched off-Broadway locations to now present shows at the Signature.

Brian Wilson, musical genius and founder of the Beach Boys, died today (Wednesday, June 11, 2025), so in honor of him, here is an article of the 40 greatest Beach Boys songs that I wrote for Broadway World two years ago.  Love & Mercy, Brian!

At the Crane Theater, Walking Shadow Theatre Company isn’t just reviving history — it’s exhuming it, dusting it off, and tossing it unapologetically under the spotlight. Mae West and the Trial of Sex, a new play written by Artistic Director John Heimbuch and directed by Allison Vincent, dives headlong into the scandal, subversion, and censorship of 1920s Broadway — and finds the modern resonance humming just beneath the fringe.

A new version of the classic, The Pirates of Penzance, is currently commanding the stage at Roundabout’s Todd Haimes Theatre on 42nd Street—formerly the American Airlines and before that, the Selwyn. This revisal of the beloved show is titled: Pirates! The Penzance Musical.

Don't miss these great theatre offerings this summer!

Two of the most famous lawyers in modern history are Ross Cellino Jr. and Steve Barnes. A hilarious dark comedy about the law partners, titled Cellino v. Barnes, has been running off-Broadway since last summer, starring Eric William Morris and Noah Weisberg and written by Mike B. Breen and David Rafailedes. 

A wonderfully varied evening of jazz.