Library for the Performing Arts Programs

Kids of all ages are welcome to join us for a regular screening of children's films this fall. Short works will be shown in the cafe at the Library for the Performing Arts on our 16mm film projector. If your little one loves machines, dinosaurs, barking and learning to love reading, this series is for them! This month's film program focuses on shapes & colors, and features Norman McLaren's film Blinkity Blank. Thurs Nov 10 Thurs Dec 15

This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Please click here to register. This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. In the latest silent film series, Silent Clowns, with live piano accompaniment, we pay tribute to Charlie Chaplin, focusing on his second year in films, at Essanay. Not content to have his screen character be a figure of fun, this program of HIs New Job (1915), By the Sea (1915), The Bank (1915), and Polic…

Biographer Neil Baldwin and Janet Eilber of the Martha Graham Dance Company discuss the life of Martha Graham. Neil Baldwin’s new biography of Martha Graham, chosen by the book editors of The New York Times as one of "15 memoirs and biographies to read this Fall," tells the story of the American choreographer who revolutionized modern dance. In celebration, the author joins Janet Eilber, Artistic Director of the Martha Graham Dance Company, on stage to discuss the life and legacy of this singul…

This event will take place in person at the Library for the Performing Arts. Register Photo credit: Vaclav Havel (left) and Lou Reed (right). Photo by Ondrej Nemec. In the early 1990s, Václav Havel became the first president of the Czech Republic after the Velvet Revolution toppled the Communist system. Soon after, Havel invited Lou Reed to visit the newly formed country—Reed visited, but was hesitant to perform there. Havel convinced him to do so, explaining that he wouldn’t have become…

This event will take place in person at the Library for the Performing Arts. Please click here to register. For nearly ten years, the Library for the Performing Arts’s summer musical theatre writing program has brought together lyricists, composers, bookwriters, and performers to form new collaborations and write 20-minute musicals with advice from experts in the industry. At the end of each program, the artists present their new musical theatre works to the public. This summer’s musical…

Free tickets are currently sold out—if you don't have a ticket and would like to attend, we welcome you to come to the event and standby on the waitlist. Ring in the holidays with this special, free concert by Broadway's Future Songbook. The evening performance features an array of new holiday songs written by some of today’s most talented composers and lyricists and performed by New York’s best. The Songbook: Broadway's Future series, in association with the artists of tomorrow, will present…

This event will take place online via Zoom as well as in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Please click here to register. Past hosts Mindy Aloff, John Goodman, and Alastair Macaulay look back on David Vaughan's tenure as the original "Dance Historian." This event will take place online via Zoom as well as in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. This year marks the 10th anniversary of The Dance Historian is In, a series that began when archivist and historian Dav…

This event will take place in person at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Emerging actors can join us for this free workshop to learn how to create an audition tape using the Library for the Performing Arts’ Tech Kits. Using her expertise in what makes a good audition tape, casting director Sujotta Pace will lead this workshop, using the equipment in the Tech Kits to help actors highlight their skills and talent in the best possible light. Pace will also talk about what castin…

Miz Jade and Dragtivity Book at NY Historical Society, May 2019 This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Drag Story Hour has, since 2015, produced educational programs for children which encourage literacy and celebrate gender diversity and difference to build empathy and give kids the confidence to express themselves however they feel comfortable. However, these programs have recently been the target of protests. Join us for an exploration of freedom of e…

Presented in collaboration with the Lincoln Center at the David Rubenstein Atrium. As pillars of the queer community since before the Stonewall rebellion, drag entertainers are no strangers to the revolutionary act of spreading hope and love to younger generations. Who better to lead young minds through the landscape of a magical fairy kingdom than real-life drag royalty? Programmed in collaboration with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Drag Story Hour NYC is an interactive…

Latinx choreographers, performers, and thought leaders explore contemporary Latinx dance in America through the lens of José Limón, other foundational figures in the artform, while speaking to the influences these rich legacies continue to have on current and future practices in the field. Learn more about the Symposium and speakers. Register Here (Photo credit: Hisae Aihara)

This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Please click here to register. This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. The culmination of an intense semester of research and creative experimentation, New School University students, led by acclaimed saxophonist and composer Jane Ira Bloom, present new music and theater works inspired by and incorporating the Library’s archives. The concert will be followed by a Q & A wi…

This event is online only. 53rd Street Library is continuing our successful remote music series in collaboration with the Library for the Performing Arts. This disc discussion will focus on The Beatles: Revolver **How to Register: Please click HERE** We are offering a monthly music club (1PM & 5PM options) via Google Hangouts/Meetup selecting and focusing on a classic album with a distinct cultural impact. To give the club an intimate feel--Like a book club for music. An LP Club!--and for…

This event is online only. 53rd Street Library is continuing our successful remote music series in collaboration with the Library for the Performing Arts. This disc discussion will focus on The Beatles: Revolver **How to Register: Please click HERE** We are offering a monthly music club (1PM & 5PM options) via Google Hangouts/Meetup selecting and focusing on a classic album with a distinct cultural impact. To give the club an intimate feel--Like a book club for music. An LP Club!--and for…

This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Kids of all ages are welcome to join us for a regular screening of children's films this fall. Short works will be shown in the cafe at the Library for the Performing Arts on our 16mm film projector. If your little one loves machines, dinosaurs, barking and learning to love reading, this series is for them! In this month's program, we screen Ezra Jacks Keats' The Snowy Day made by Weston Woods Studios in 1964.

This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Please click here to register. Charles Dickens's immortal holiday tale, A Christmas Carol, was adapted for dance by ballet dancer Christopher Gable in 1992. The story tells the tale of a miser who saves his soul and begins to love his neighbor just in the nick of time on Christmas morning. Carl Davis provided the music for this dance adaptation, with choreography by Massimo Morricone. This film of the dance perf…

This event is online only. 53rd Street Library is continuing our successful remote music series in collaboration with the Library for the Performing Arts. This disc discussion will focus on Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin **How to Register: Please click HERE** We are offering a monthly music club (1PM & 5PM options) via Google Hangouts/Meetup selecting and focusing on a classic album with a distinct cultural impact. To give the club an intimate feel--Like a book club for music. An LP Club!…

This event is online only. 53rd Street Library is continuing our successful remote music series in collaboration with the Library for the Performing Arts. This disc discussion will focus on Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin **How to Register: Please click HERE** We are offering a monthly music club (1PM & 5PM options) via Google Hangouts/Meetup selecting and focusing on a classic album with a distinct cultural impact. To give the club an intimate feel--Like a book club for music. An LP Club!…

Kids of all ages are welcome to join us for a morning of classic children’s films focusing on modes of transportation. Short works will be shown in the cafe at the Library for the Performing Arts on our 16mm film projector. If your little one wants to explore machines, dinosaurs, music and reading, this monthly film series is for them!

This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Register A teen filmmaker receives guidance from educator Jaime Barrios circa 1969. Photo by Hella Hammid, courtesy the family of Hella Hammid. This year is the centennial anniversary of the public release of 16mm film, and to celebrate, the Library for the Performing Arts hosts a conversation about how 16mm has become a liberating tool for emerging filmmakers, visual artists, and political dissenters. Filmma…

This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Performances at 3pm and at 6pm Register The Library for the Performing Arts presents a concert reading of the new musical, Rutka, about a teenager and her friends trying to grow up and survive in a world that's gone terrifyingly mad around them. Featuring a cast of Broadway stars, the musical is based on the internationally-acclaimed book Rutka’s Notebook, a diary left behind by 14-year-old Rutka Laskier in the…

This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Performances at 3pm and at 6pm Register The Library for the Performing Arts presents a concert reading of the new musical, Rutka, about a teenager and her friends trying to grow up and survive in a world that's gone terrifyingly mad around them. Featuring a cast of Broadway stars, the musical is based on the internationally-acclaimed book Rutka’s Notebook, a diary left behind by 14-year-old Rutka Laskier in the…

Each year, the Jerome Robbins Dance Division oversees the Dance Research Fellowship, an annual cohort of dance scholars and artists invited to research a specific aspect of dance. This year, fellows focused their research on the theme of dance and ecology. Fellows Juli Brandano, Rosemary Candelario, María de los Angeles Rodríguez Jiménez, Lindsey Jones, Richard Move, and Rachna Nivas will deliver presentations in our annual symposium, culminating the work undertaken during a six-month fellowshi…

Each year, the Jerome Robbins Dance Division oversees the Dance Research Fellowship, an annual cohort of dance scholars and artists invited to research a specific aspect of dance. This year, fellows focused their research on the theme of dance and ecology. Fellows Juli Brandano, Rosemary Candelario, María de los Angeles Rodríguez Jiménez, Lindsey Jones, Richard Move, and Rachna Nivas will deliver presentations in our annual symposium, culminating the work undertaken during a six-month fellowship…

Phil Chan, co-founder of Final Bow for Yellowface reads excerpts from his new book Bashing Orientalism Opium dreams, nodding geishas, feisty harem slavegirls, seductive temple dancers… In the past, performances on the great European stages featured stereotypical depictions of "exotic" peoples, places, and plots, expanding the European imagination while providing innovation in opera and classical ballet. But today, these outdated portrayals in traditional masterpieces no longer work for diverse…

This event is online only. 53rd Street Library is continuing our successful remote music series in collaboration with the Library for the Performing Arts. This disc discussion will focus on The Wild Tchoupitoulas - The Wild Tchoupitoulas **How to Register: Please click HERE** We are offering a monthly music club (1PM & 5PM options) via Google Hangouts/Meetup selecting and focusing on a classic album with a distinct cultural impact. To give the club an intimate feel--Like a book club for m…

This event is online only. 53rd Street Library is continuing our successful remote music series in collaboration with the Library for the Performing Arts. This disc discussion will focus on The Wild Tchoupitoulas - The Wild Tchoupitoulas **How to Register: Please click HERE** We are offering a monthly music club (1PM & 5PM options) via Google Hangouts/Meetup selecting and focusing on a classic album with a distinct cultural impact. To give the club an intimate feel--Like a book club for m…

This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Kids of all ages are welcome to join us for a morning of classic children’s films celebrating friendship, compassion and love. Short works will be shown in the cafe at the Library for the Performing Arts on our 16mm film projector. If your little one wants to explore machines, dinosaurs, music and reading, this monthly film series is for them! Entrance at 111 Amsterdam Avenue between W. 64th and 65th Streets Series…

This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Please click here to 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…

This event will take place in person at the Library for the Performing Arts. Register Few New York City theatre companies are as identifiably represented by a single poster artist as Lincoln Center is by James McMullan. McMullan often works with the production team while a show is still in development to find the heart of the piece to capture in his art. This process frequently informs the direction of the show itself. The Billy Rose Theatre Division, which preserves the records of Lincol…

This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Register Inspired by one of our favorite Instagram handles, the Reserve Film and Video Collection will explore the zeitgeist of New York City as represented in its historic 16mm film collection. Come watch rare and unique film prints and share in a discussion on what it means to “make it here.” The What's Happening? Series: This monthly program features films on issues of public concern and notable topics. The…

This event will take place online via Zoom as well as in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. A discussion with Andy Chiang and Deborah Damast on the choreography of Bertram Ross and his influence on Nai-Ni Chen. In this edition of the Dance Historian is In, Andy Chiang of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company discusses modern dance icon Bertram Ross, Ross’s work, and his concert with Nai-Ni Chen. Ross taught at NYU and the nearby, at the Mary Anthony Dance Studio on Broadway, where he met a…

This event is online only. 53rd Street Library is continuing our successful remote music series in collaboration with the Library for the Performing Arts. This disc discussion will focus on Van Morrison: Astral Weeks **How to Register: Please click HERE** We are offering a monthly music club (1PM & 5PM options) via Google Hangouts/Meetup selecting and focusing on a classic album with a distinct cultural impact. To give the club an intimate feel--Like a book club for music. An LP Club!--an…

This event is online only. 53rd Street Library is continuing our successful remote music series in collaboration with the Library for the Performing Arts. This disc discussion will focus on Van Morrison: Astral Weeks **How to Register: Please click HERE** We are offering a monthly music club (1PM & 5PM options) via Google Hangouts/Meetup selecting and focusing on a classic album with a distinct cultural impact. To give the club an intimate feel--Like a book club for music. An LP Club!--an…

This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts. Kids of all ages are welcome to join us for a morning of classic children’s films. Short works will be shown in the cafe at the Library for the Performing Arts on our 16mm film projector. If your little one wants to explore machines, dinosaurs, music and reading, this monthly film series is for them! Upcoming Dates: April 13 May 11

This event will take place in person and streaming online at the Library for the Performing Arts. Register Continuing New York City's long history of drag performance, cabaret, and experimental theatre, singer and artist ANOHNI led the Blacklips Performance Cult in a hilarious, maximalist, over-the-top, weekly set of performances at the Pyramid Club in the East Village. From 92 to 95, ANOHNI and her group, which eventually grew to 13 core members, put on happenings and performances, re…

This event will take place in person at the Library for the Performing Arts. Register The New York Classical Players return to the Library for the Performing Arts with a free performance of three Beethoven pieces. Under the direction of Founder and Music Director Dongmin Kim, the New York Classical Players are an ensemble dedicated to the highest standards of artistry, collaboration, and virtuosity. Inspired by the belief that access to musical excellence is an essential human right, like…

This event will take place in person at the Library for the Performing Arts. Register This event will take place in person at the Library for the Performing Arts. Josef Hofmann was a Polish pianist and composer who worked with many illustrious musicians, not least among them is Marcella Sembrich. This video documentary, Josef Hofmann, Genius and Dreamer, produced in 2019 as part of a series for Polish TV devoted to eminent Polish figures of the past by director Pawel Kloc, tells Hofmann'…

This event will take place in person at the Library for the Performing Arts. In 2020, a small group of Black artists created an online platform for Black dance artists to share their practice with the world. Since that time, Black Dance Stories has grown to become a weekly livestream series that highlights and celebrates Black creatives through story sharing, interviewing dance practitioners like Bebe Miller & Kyle Abraham, Nia Love, and Maria Bauman Morales. The series platforms Black arti…

This event will take place in person at The Library for the Performing Arts, as well as online via Zoom webinar for those who cannot attend in person. REGISTER In this special event, we pay tribute to Rodger Larson, who passed away in the summer of 2022. Through his Young Filmaker’s Foundation, Larson pioneered the use of filmmaking as a tool for youth, especially marginalized and disadvantaged youth, to express themselves and engage in their communities. A generation of New Yorkers we…