The Yankee Doodle Boy gets digitized
Since 1968, the Museum has been home to a large collection of scripts, sheet music, and scores created by George M. Cohan, the most prolific theater artist in the … Continue reading
Katherine Dunham in New York City
Eighty years ago this month, an anthropologist named Katherine Dunham made her New York City dance debut at the 92nd Street Y. The 28 year old Chicago native choreographed and … Continue reading
At the Broadway Convention
On the last weekend of January, along with thousands of Broadway fans, I made the trek to the Javits Center on Manhattan’s far west side to enjoy the second annual … Continue reading
John Street Theatre, the only show in town!
The week between Christmas and New Year is traditionally the busiest time of the year for theater on Broadway, and this year was no exception. According to The Broadway … Continue reading
The Chicago story
Last Thursday, November 3rd, in the wee hours of the morning the Chicago Cubs triumphed over the Cleveland Indians breaking a 108 year curse to win the World Series of … Continue reading
Rachel Crothers, Sign of the Times
One of the most successful American playwrights of the early 20th century was an unassuming woman named Rachel Crothers. Though not often revived now, the Broadway stage saw over 30 … Continue reading
The Space is the Place; the Museum’s Collection on Theaters
With Archtober – New York City’s annual Architecture and Design Month – almost upon us, it has got my theater archivist’s mind turning to the city’s history of theater buildings. So this week I offer … Continue reading
The play within a play’s the thing!
“The play’s the thing…” William Shakespeare’s Hamlet famously says at the end of Act II, “…wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.” For Shakespeare’s depressed Danish prince, a group … Continue reading
Ladies and Gentlemen, we now present Sissle and Blake!
Last week, the Museum hosted a conversation with director Rachel Taichman and playwright Paula Vogel on their new theatrical collaboration investigating the performance history of the Yiddish play Got fun nekome … Continue reading
From the Bowery to Broadway: Women of the Yiddish Stage
Last week, the Museum opened “New York’s Yiddish Theater: From the Bowery to Broadway,” a fabulous new exhibition that explores the history and influence of Yiddish theater in New York … Continue reading
The short, sad story of actress Clara Bloodgood
On the evening of December 5, 1907, respected actress and society woman Clara Bloodgood fatally shot herself in a Baltimore hotel room. She was in town to star as the … Continue reading
Librettist Harry B. Smith and the thousands of words
In the time it took to pull together images and write this blog, lyricist Harry Bache Smith could probably have written a popular hit song, contributed a number and a … Continue reading
The mystery of Mabel E. Johnston, who drew beautiful costumes
In 1978, the Museum received a collection of costume design renderings that featured the work of well-known theatrical designers such as Boris Aronson, Charles Le Maire, and Vincent Minelli. Also … Continue reading
MCNY Blog: New York Stories 