Library for the Performing Arts Programs

This program will be seated on a first come, first serve basis. The Library for the Performing Arts partners with MUSE (Musicians United for Social Equity) and SiriusXM's On Broadway host, Seth Rudetsky, to host the Broadway Sitzprobe Experience: Pippin. Conceived by Rudetsky, this open music rehearsal for Pippin allows MUSE and Maestra musicians to gain experience and exposure by collaborating with Broadway instrumentalists. The Broadway Sitzprobe Experience Orchestra plays a selection of nu…

Register The Silent Clowns Film Series is New York’s longest-running regularly scheduled silent film showcase. Our programming reaches the serious film buff by including rarely-screened titles and rare prints, yet it also introduces kids and new audiences to the classics of the silent screen. Screenings feature live piano accompaniment by MoMA’s Ben Model, with an introduction and Q&A by film historians Model and Steve Massa. Silent film actor Raymond Griffith is one of the most overlooked…

Register The culmination of an intense semester of research and creative experimentation, New School students, led by acclaimed saxophonist and composer Jane Ira Bloom, present new music and theater works inspired by and incorporating the Library’s archives. Photo Credit: Rebecca Littman SEATING POLICY | Programs are free and open to all, but registration is requested. Check-in line forms 45 minutes before the advertised start time. Registered guests are given priority check-in 15 to 30 mi…

Register Learn about the first racially-integrated all-female band in the US and more for this year's Black History Month!In conjunction with the Music and Recorded Sound Division's exhibition Rhythm Is My Business:Women Who Shaped Jazz, the Reserve Film and Video Collection host an evening of film and discussion delving into the history of female jazzmusicians. Join us for a screening of the documentary films International Sweethearts of Rhythm, which tells the story of the first racially-inte…

Register Yang’s Zodiac trio was born several years ago from Yang and the pianist Santiago Leibson’s shared love of Mary Lou Williams’s Zodiac Suite (1945). This initiated the long process of finding the trio’s distinctive sound. The ensemble’s shape became definitive when the drummer Gerald Cleaver joined as the third member and the trio produced and released their interpretation of William’s music under the title ‘Zodiac Suite: reassured’ (2022, Fresh Sound New Talent). Mary Lou Williams’s ori…

Register Play Club is like a book club, but for plays! Whether you are familiar with the art of reading plays, or looking to expand your appreciation for dramatic literature, this book club is an opportunity to read plays you have been meaning to explore or have never considered reading before. Learn about new works, discover new playwrights, and make friends! This group will read one playscript from the Library for the Performing Arts circulating collection every month, and then come together…

Register For more than a decade, the Across a Crowded Room incubator program series at the Library for the Performing Arts has created a space for musical theater artists to meet, collaborate, and form connections. Since 2022, the Library for the Performing Arts has allowed program participants to apply for an Across a Crowded Room fellowship, which gives the artists money to develop their 20-minute musical works into 90-minute pieces. Please join us for the first public presentation of one su…

Register For more than a decade, the Across a Crowded Room incubator program series at the Library for the Performing Arts has created a space for musical theater artists to meet, collaborate, and form connections. Since 2022, the Library for the Performing Arts has allowed program participants to apply for an Across a Crowded Room fellowship, which gives the artists money to develop their 20-minute musical works into 90-minute pieces. Please join us for the first public presentation of one suc…

Register Play Club is like a book club, but for plays! Whether you are familiar with the art of reading plays, or looking to expand your appreciation for dramatic literature, this book club is an opportunity to read plays you have been meaning to explore or have never considered reading before. Learn about new works, discover new playwrights, and make friends! This group will read one playscript from the Library for the Performing Arts circulating collection every month, and then come together…

Register Lori Belilove, artistic director and founder of the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation & Company, has worked to pass on Duncan’s grace, power, and mastery of weight to future generations. Belilove received direct instruction from Duncan’s original troupe of six young dancers, known as her “Isadorables.” The group included Anna Duncan, born Anna Denzler, who was one of the most dedicated of the six—she never studied another dance technique, and was called "a key keeper of the flame." I…

Register Robin Wagner was one of the most inventive and prolific scenic designers on Broadway in the last decades of the 20th century. From the deceptively simple set of A Chorus Line that allowed for the use of Tharon Musser’s first-of-a-kind computerized lighting design, to the boundary pushing automated scenery in Dreamgirls, Wagner helped to bring scenic design into the digital age. In 2023, months before his death, Wagner gave his papers and designs to the Library for the Performing Arts,…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. For…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. For…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Jenn…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Jenn…

Register Come join us for this event, featuring Broadway designers from every field of design! The Library for the Performing Arts has partnered with the organization Black Theatre United for their inaugural Black Theatre United Design Expo 2025. The event includes panels, talks, demonstrations on the most up-to-date innovations in design, one-on-one portfolio reviews, and so much more. The Black Theatre United Design Expo 2025 is focused toward up-and-coming and early career designers gaining…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Broa…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Broa…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Arti…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Arti…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Awar…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Awar…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. As p…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. As p…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Kick…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Kick…

Register In addition to published plays and musicals, the Library for the Performing Arts’ archive contains many unproduced and rarely produced works from generations of theater artists. Join us for a reading of one such musical theater piece, curated by the Library’s Billy Rose Theatre Division, and see theater history brought to life! For 60 years, The Library for the Performing Arts has provided a hub for artists, scholars, and lovers of dance, music, theater, and the performing arts at-lar…

From 1945 to 1966, The Palladium Ballroom was the home for the mambo, a social, partner dance. The Palladium is also recognized as the first integrated dance space in Midtown, and it was known to the clubgoers as a place of family, a place of love, and a place of dance. Dance artist and historian Sekou McMiller spent time in a residency at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the Library for the Performing Arts, working with, speaking to, and dancing with elders from the mambo community that spe…

In 1965, the Library for the Performing Arts opened its doors to a vast archive and treasure trove of performing arts history, spanning dance, theater, music, and even film. We celebrate the Library’s 60th anniversary with a Silent Disco party that highlights music from the Library’s archive from each decade of its existence. This evening's exclusive DJ, the legendary producer and owner of the eclectic music label and culture hub Peace Bisquit, Bill Coleman, heats up The Dance Floor. For 60 yea…

This exhibition tour is first come, first serve. In the 1960s, much like today, artists in New York struggled with limited access to resources and space—key elements to make new work. Dancers and choreographers, who need space to move and experiment, felt these limitations perhaps the most. Thinking about how to support artists in a new way, Jeff Duncan, who had worked with Anna Sokolow and Dorothy Humphrey during his early career, opened his living space to other artists to create, rehearse,…

Register The Library for the Performing Arts brings Reading Rhythms Public to Lincoln Center! In the middle of the most iconic performing arts campus in the world, indulge in a unique reading party, fuelled by literature and connection. Bring your favorite book, play, musical score—or borrow one that was especially curated by one of the librarians at the Library for the Performing Arts. Plus, enjoy a one-night only pop-up exhibition of some of the Library’s performing arts treasurers to celebra…

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Library for the Performing Arts, our librarians bring the magic of silent cinema to Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium. The Library will present a silent film from its collection, with live piano accompaniment by Ben Model, one of the classic film world's leading silent film accompanists. For 60 years, The Library for the Performing Arts has provided a hub for artists, scholars, and lovers of dance, music, theater, and the performing arts at-large.…

This exhibition tour is first come, first serve. In the 1960s, much like today, artists in New York struggled with limited access to resources and space—key elements to make new work. Dancers and choreographers, who need space to move and experiment, felt these limitations perhaps the most. Thinking about how to support artists in a new way, Jeff Duncan, who had worked with Anna Sokolow and Dorothy Humphrey during his early career, opened his living space to other artists to create, rehearse,…

Dancer, choreographer, and intermedia artist Elaine Summers was a major pioneer exploring the meeting of dance and film, melding the two into a seamless whole which she referred to as "intermedia." The Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the Library for the Performing Arts preserves Summers’ archive. In honor of the Library’s 60th anniversary, we celebrate Summers during her centennial birth year with a recreation of her 2007 performance, Hidden Forest, which originally premiered at Lincoln Center.…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Fame…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Fame…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Mart…

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center as part of the Summer for the City programming. Lincoln Center’s free Storytime programming returns at Summer for the City—and, due to continued popular demand, we have scheduled two readings every Wednesday! Curated by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—Storytime events feature a children's book reading accompanied by live music, dance, or theater, engaging kids of all ages. Mart…