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

Performing Arts

Thursday

Culture

Gabriel Byrne And The Art Of Listening

Fresh Air

Actor Gabriel Byrne is so convincing and sympathetic in his role as a psychoanalyst on the HBO series In Treatment that people have started telling him their problems.

Gabriel Byrne And The Art Of Listening

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Monday

Playwright Finds Humor In Torture

Christopher Durang's satirical play is called Why Torture Is Wrong, And The People Who Love Them. His protagonist is a young woman who suspects that her new husband may be a terrorist. Durang talks about how he managed to write a funny play about torture.

Playwright Finds Humor In Torture

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Friday

The Magic Of Tarell McCraney's 'Distant Present'

The 28-year-old playwright has quickly earned admiration and high praise from the theater community. The McCarter Theatre is presenting his Brother/Sister series, a trio of plays in which he wraps familiar issues of family, community and coming of age.

The Magic Of Tarell McCraney's 'Distant Present'

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Thursday

Financial Turmoil Grips World Markets

For Downsized Actors, Performance Anxiety Looms

The recession has fewer people going to the theater, which means less work for stage performers. That's because many American theater companies are shrinking their seasons — and their casts.

For Downsized Actors, Performance Anxiety Looms

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Wednesday

Music Interviews

In Your Ear: Chris Eyre

Chris Eyre, director of the acclaimed 1998 film Smoke Signals, is the lead director of the current PBS documentary series We Shall Remain. Eyre shares some of the music that's playing in his ear, including poet and recording artist John Tudell's song Crazy Horse.

In Your Ear: Chris Eyre

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Monday

Culture

Good Old Reliable Oliver Platt In 'Guys And Dolls'

Actor Oliver Platt takes the stage in the latest revival of the legendary musical Guys and Dolls. Platt tells NPR that modern audiences can still relate to his classic character: Good Old Reliable Nathan Detroit.

Good Old Reliable Oliver Platt In 'Guys And Dolls'

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Saturday

Culture

A Rising-Star Writer And A Miraculous Maid

Set in a tough Texas border town in the 1970s, Octavio Solis' new play Lydia is fast becoming one of the buzziest dramas of 2009. NPR's Neda Ulaby talks to the playwright about his inspirations — and his past.

A Rising-Star Writer And A Miraculous Maid

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Friday

Talk of the Nation

Play Asks: Can Science And Religion Get Along?

In End Days, playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer takes on science, religion and Elvis. Laufer explains how she uses scientific theories to explore human nature in her writing and why she wanted the same actor to play Jesus Christ and Stephen Hawking.

Play Asks: Can Science And Religion Get Along?

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Thursday

Culture

Kristin Chenoweth Is 'A Little Bit Wicked'

Fresh Air

From Broadway to Sesame Street, Kristen Chenoweth has tackled a wide range of roles, genres and media. Now, she tells her own story in her autobiography, A Little Bit Wicked.

Kristin Chenoweth Is 'A Little Bit Wicked'

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Poetry

Ethan Coen's 'Recreational' Writing Projects

The younger of the filmmaking Coen brothers is the author of two recently published books. Almost An Evening consists of three short plays that were staged off-Broadway last year, while The Drunken Driver Has The Right Of Way is a slim volume of clever, light verse.

Ethan Coen's 'Recreational' Writing Projects

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Wednesday

Sonia Sanchez Honors Late Jazz Musician With Poem

In a salute to National Poetry Month, award winning-poet Sonia Sanchez reads "10 Haikus for Max Roach," which she penned to mark the occasion of the passing of her good friend jazz drummer Max Roach. The poems are part of upcoming book by Sanchez, titled "Morning Haiku."

Sonia Sanchez Honors Late Jazz Musician With Poem

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Tuesday

Media

As Newspapers Downsize, Cities Lose Arts Critics

In the past, the place to find out what was happening in the clubs and theaters of your city was the local paper. But as cash-strapped newspapers lay off their local arts critics, the future of arts criticism is up in the air.

As Newspapers Downsize, Cities Lose Arts Critics

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Monday

There's Attitude, And Then There's 'Hat-itude'

In the musical CROWNS, a young woman is sent to live with her grandmother after a tragic loss and gets to know the elder's circle of church-going friends. The proud women teach life lessons that revolve around themes colorful, vibrant hats, or "crowns", worn as part of their church wardrobe. The actresses from CROWNS explain their characters and the symbolism of the hats among African-American women.

There's Attitude, And Then There's 'Hat-itude'

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Music

Margaret Whiting On Jazz And Jack Wrangler

Fresh Air

Singer Margaret Whiting married adult film icon Jack Wrangler in 1994. Fresh Air revisits a 1988 interview in which the singer talks about her relationship with Wrangler.

Margaret Whiting On Jazz And Jack Wrangler

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