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

Performing Arts

Friday

Black artists have always led AIDS activism. This tribute wants to give them credit

Still from Ira Sachs's film Last Address. Last Address hide caption

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Last Address

Culture

Black artists have always led AIDS activism. This tribute wants to give them credit

Activist Pamela Sneed says this year's walk will honor Black artists' contributions that have been erased from AIDS narratives.

Black artists have always led AIDS activism. This tribute wants to give them credit

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Friday

Spoken word and sonic rituals: East LA exhibit features Latinx artists using sound

Marcus Kuilan-Nazario's "Macho Stereo" is an homage to his late father, an audiophile. He says his father used to record on this reel-to-reel player. Mandalit del Barco/NPR News hide caption

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Mandalit del Barco/NPR News

Spoken word and sonic rituals: East LA exhibit features Latinx artists using sound

The exhibition spans decades and includes spoken word performances, sound rituals and installations by Chicano and Puerto Rican artists.

Spoken word and sonic rituals: East LA exhibit features Latinx artists using sound

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Friday

Iranian-American playwright is set on breaking expectations

Marjan Neshat (in white dress), Roxanna Hope Radja (behind couch), Nikki Massoud and Artemis Pebdani in Wish You Were Here. Joan Marcus/Playwrights Horizons hide caption

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Joan Marcus/Playwrights Horizons

Culture

Iranian-American playwright is set on breaking expectations

Sanaz Toossi is having a moment – her first production ever, English, just won a Lucille Lortel award for outstanding new off-Broadway play, and Wish You Were Here opened last week.

Iranian-American playwright is set on breaking expectations

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Theater

Anthony Roth Costanzo nearly lost his voice to cancer. Now he's back as 'Akhnaten'

Fresh Air

A decade ago, Costanzo had surgery that threatened to destroy his singing voice. Now he stars as a gender-fluid Egyptian pharaoh in the Met Opera's production. Originally broadcast Oct. 7, 2019.

Anthony Roth Costanzo nearly lost his voice to cancer. Now he's back as 'Akhnaten'

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The late Norm Macdonald left fans a surprise stand-up special

Former Saturday Night Live star Norm Macdonald recorded a standup comedy special in his living room before he died in the fall of 2021. The special, which is set to be released on Netflix this month, was something he wanted to leave for his fans if he were to die unexpectedly. Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption

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Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Culture

The late Norm Macdonald left fans a surprise stand-up special

The Saturday Night Live star, who died last year after a battle with cancer, shot a one-hour special from his living room. Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special will stream on Netflix starting May 30.

Monday

2022 Pulitzer Prizes in arts and letters go to 'Fat Ham' and 'The Netenyahus'
New York Review Books

Culture

2022 Pulitzer Prizes in arts and letters go to 'Fat Ham' and 'The Netenyahus'

The 2022 Pulitzer Prizes in fiction, poetry, drama and other categories in arts and letters were announced in New York along with awards for journalism.

2022 Pulitzer Prizes in arts and letters go to 'Fat Ham' and 'The Netenyahus'

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Saturday

Photos: The Golden Age of Broadway is celebrated in a new online exhibit

Study of the 1931 Josephine Baker poster by Jean Chassaing. Helicline Fine Art hide caption

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Helicline Fine Art

Culture

Photos: The Golden Age of Broadway is celebrated in a new online exhibit

A new virtual art exhibition celebrates theater, movies and television with original sketches by Broadway set and costume designers.

Photos: The Golden Age of Broadway is celebrated in a new online exhibit

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Wednesday

85-year-old bassist Ron Carter has no plans on slowing down

Critics say Ron Carter left a big footprint in music, especially for bassists. Didier Baverel/Getty Images hide caption

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Didier Baverel/Getty Images

Music News

85-year-old bassist Ron Carter has no plans on slowing down

The roster of musicians Carter has worked with ranges from Ornette Coleman to Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack and A Tribe Called Quest.

85-year-old bassist Ron Carter has no plans on slowing down

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Monday

Mazel Tov Cocktail Party: Take an ounce of hip hop, dash of polka, then square dance

Mazel Tov Cocktail Party's influences are global, but the sound they create is uniquely their own. Laura Carbone/Kathleen Tagg hide caption

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Laura Carbone/Kathleen Tagg

Culture

Mazel Tov Cocktail Party: Take an ounce of hip hop, dash of polka, then square dance

Finding a thriving dance culture in the Adirondacks Mountains inspired the band to take its sound in an unexpected direction.

Mazel Tov Cocktail Party: Take an ounce of hip hop, dash of polka, then square dance

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Why Did The Scientist Cross The Road?...To Meet Kasha Patel!
Adam Taylor/Getty Images

Short Wave

Why Did The Scientist Cross The Road?...To Meet Kasha Patel!

When Kasha Patel decided to try out stand-up comedy, she was told to joke about what she knew. For her, that was science. Today on Short Wave, Kasha talks to host Emily Kwong about how she developed her sense of humor, how she infuses science into her comedy and why on Earth she analyzed 500 of her jokes.

Why Did The Scientist Cross The Road?...To Meet Kasha Patel!

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Sunday

A Ukrainian dance troupe in the U.S. fights disinformation, one high kick at a time

Dariya Medynska gathers with other members of the Voloshky Ukrainian dance ensemble before the International Spring Festival at North Penn High School in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Rachel Wisniewski for NPR hide caption

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Rachel Wisniewski for NPR

Culture

A Ukrainian dance troupe in the U.S. fights disinformation, one high kick at a time

The Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, which turns 50 this year, hopes to counter Russian aggression by teaching U.S. audiences about Ukrainian history and culture.

A Ukrainian dance troupe in the U.S. fights disinformation, one high kick at a time

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Friday

Anti-trans legislation; plus, Broadway is back

MONTGOMERY, AL - MARCH 30: Sydney Duncan holds a sign during a rally at the Alabama State House to draw attention to anti-transgender legislation introduced in Alabama on March 30, 2021 in Montgomery, Alabama. There are so far 192 anti-LGBTQ bills under consideration in state legislatures across the United States. Of those, 93 directly target transgender people. Julie Bennett/Getty Images hide caption

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Julie Bennett/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Anti-trans legislation; plus, Broadway is back

Legislation targeting transgender Americans and trans children has increased sharply in the last year. Guest host Ari Shapiro speaks with the Florida mother of a trans daughter about how their family is coping with that state's new, more restrictive policies. Then, Ari discusses how this wave of law-making differs from so-called "moral panics" of past decades — and why that matters — with historian Jules Gill-Peterson, of Johns Hopkins University.

Anti-trans legislation; plus, Broadway is back

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