Performing Arts

Beyonce performs onstage in 2013 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Rob Hoffman/Invision for Parkwood Entertainment hide caption

Actors take a bow after performing in BroadwayCon's opening ceremony, which was a kind of mini Broadway musical. Cheri Root/Courtesy of The Honig Company hide caption

In Lynn Nottage's play Sweat, Jason (Stephen Michael Spencer, left) and Chris (Tramell Tillman) are workers at a steel tubing plant in Reading, Pa. Nottage says she wanted to write about "how poverty and economic stagnation were shifting the American narrative." Colin Hovde/C. Stanley Photography/Arena Stage hide caption

In The Glory of the World, 17 actors, all men, mark author and Catholic monk Thomas Merton's 100th birthday. Bill Brymer/BAM hide caption

In the 1960s, Maggie Smith starred in the Broadway hit Mary, Mary. One reviewer called her a "gem of an actress, an undeniable dish." Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images hide caption

Ade, played by Nana Sam Elliott-Sackeyfio glows in new love at a private dinner, in the production of Bananas and Groundnuts. Courtesy of Roverman Productions hide caption

Violet Newman is one of five young girls who make up the cast of Employee of the Year, one of the plays being featured at this year's Under the Radar Festival. Maria Baranova/Courtesy of the Public Theater hide caption

To mark the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death, the Folger Shakespeare Library is sending the first printed collection of all his plays out on tour. Folger Shakespeare Library hide caption

Princess Pageant crowns reflect the importance of patchwork, beadwork, and Seminole symbols. Will O'Leary hide caption

"In material like this, I hope that there is a danger in what we're doing. I hope we are on a razor's edge." Leslie Odom Jr. gets into character as Aaron Burr on the Hamilton set. Josh Lehrer hide caption

Season 2 of Amazon's Transparent begins with Maura Pfefferman (played by Jeffrey Tambor) and her ex-wife, Shelly, attending their eldest daughter's wedding. Jennifer Clasen/Amazon Studios hide caption

Shankar Vedantam asks Bill Burr why what makes us cringe, also makes us laugh. Burr says, "If people see a trainwreck possibly coming, they're going to listen." Charles Sykes/Charles Sykes/Invision/AP hide caption