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Performing Arts News, interviews, and commentary on theater, the arts, music, and dance.

Performing Arts

Thursday

American Stages

Flexible Theater Design and Audience Intimacy

Not long ago, nearly all U.S. theaters looked the same -- framed stages tucked behind curtains. But the WaterTower Theatre has a flexible design that brings actors and audiences closer together.

Flexible Theater Design and Audience Intimacy

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Monday

Saturday

'Columbinus' Puts School Shootings on Stage

Columbinus, a play about the school massacre in Columbine, Colo., is on stage at the Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, Md. The drama depicts the teen angst and disaffection that led to violence in an almost documentary style.

'Columbinus' Puts School Shootings on Stage

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Thursday

American Stages

Reaching Out to the Local Community

Juneau's Perseverance Theatre is living the ideal of serving local audiences while courting diversity -- they're staging a musical about Filipino immigrants who work in Alaska's salmon canneries.

Reaching Out to the Local Community

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Tuesday

Opinion

From Our Listeners

Examining the Rise of American Regional Theater

During a decades-long struggle to stay alive, America's regional theaters have produced some of the country's most innovative productions. As the fringe becomes mainstream, increased success carries its own threat.

Examining the Rise of American Regional Theater

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Monday

Saturday

Music Interviews

At 75, Stephen Sondheim Looks Back... and Forward

Stephen Sondheim turns 75 this week, but the legendary musical composer and lyricist of such classics as Sweeney Todd and Assassins is still going strong. New York's SymphonySpace hosts a 12-hour tribute concert Saturday.

At 75, Stephen Sondheim Looks Back... and Forward

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Friday

National

My Fellow Americans: Maria Elena Fernandez, 'Cha-Cha Feminist'

Playwright and performance artist Maria Elena Fernandez and her one-woman show, Confessions of a Cha-Cha Feminist. This story is part of the Day to Day occasional series "My Fellow Americans" -- audio portraits that capture the extraordinary lives of ordinary Americans.

My Fellow Americans: Maria Elena Fernandez, 'Cha-Cha Feminist'

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59th Annual Tony Awards

'Virginia Woolf' Returns to Broadway

The Edward Albee play featuring one of American drama's most notorious married couples returns to Broadway. Bill Irwin plays George, and Kathleen Turner plays Martha in the new production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

'Virginia Woolf' Returns to Broadway

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Thursday

American Stages

Thinking Outside the Fundraising Box

Early resident stages often lost money and declared themselves non-profit by design. But today the fundraising challenge has grown exponentially -- and troupes are finding creative solutions to fundraising.

Thinking Outside the Fundraising Box

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Tuesday

Culture

Tim Curry Tries On King Arthur's Mantle

Fresh Air

Tim Curry's first movie was the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He turned heads as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite mad scientist. This week, Curry opens on Broadway in Spamalot, the musical version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He plays King Arthur.

Tim Curry Tries On King Arthur's Mantle

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Friday