New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

08/30/2026

$4.95 for a theater ticket? Only in New York! This mail order form is for the 1965 revival of "Oklahoma!" by the New York City Center's Light Opera Company.

"Oklahoma!" was the first Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Opening in 1943, the musical has seen four Broadway revivals and countless off-Broadway and touring productions. Our collection includes video recordings of both the 2002 and 2019 Broadway revivals, and clippings and promotional material for many more!

📷 : Mail order form for the 1965 revival of Oklahoma!, 1965 (ID: 1819303). Billy Rose Theatre Division.

08/28/2026

Hidden among her puppets in this publicity photograph is artist and puppeteer Ronnie Asbell. Asbell's bright, whimsical puppets are sometimes part of theatrical productions, but often stand alone in exhibits and shows.

📷 : Publicity photograph of Ronnie Asbell with her puppets, photo by Richard Fried, 1988. Billy Rose Theatre Division.

08/27/2026

Author Lindsay Champion visited the Library of the Performing Arts to talk about her middle-grade book series, "Cast vs. Crew," which captures the making of a junior high school musical from the perspective of the students backstage.

Champion's series was one of many books on our list of books for kids who like theater, created in partnership with Camp Broadway.

Check out our full list in our bio link ➡️

08/26/2026

Tim Curry, who died on August 25, was an incredible performer known for his memorable roles on both stage and screen across several decades, including Dr. Frank-N-Furter in "The Rocky Horror Show" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," King Arthur in "Spamalot," The Pirate King in "The Pirates of Penzance," Mozart in "Amadeus," Rooster in "Annie," Pennywise in the miniseries "It," Long John Silver in "Muppet Treasure Island," and Wadsworth in "Clue."

📷: Images from the Billy Rose Theatre Division archive. "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life..." from "Spamalot" photo by Joan Marcus. Check out more at the Library for the Performing Arts.

08/26/2026

Billie Holiday called her dog Mister "the best friend she ever had." We're highlight that sentiment for this year's ! 🐾

After becoming a successful nightclub singer in the 1930s, legendary jazz icon Billie Holiday developed a deep bond with her dogs—most notably her beloved boxer, Mister. The two were virtually inseparable: Mister accompanied her to gigs, waited patiently backstage or at the bar (where staff spoiled him with steak and milk), and spent late nights with her listening to the radio in Greenwich Village.

Learn about this and many other stories behind performing artists and their pets in the Library for the Performing Arts's free exhibition, "Unleashed: Pets of the Performing Arts."

📷: Billie Holiday and her dog Mister in the dressing room of Club Downbeat, 1946. Photo by William P. Gottlieb. Music and Recorded Sound Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

08/26/2026

Dolly Parton was an iconic performer and songwriter as well as an author and champion of literacy. Through her Imagination Library, she has gifted over 200 million free books to children worldwide, sparking a lifelong love for reading from birth to age five. 📚✨

"I thought if we could give books to children through the mail with their name on it, books would always be a joyful moment," Parton told us in 2018, when we asked her about Imagination Library. "And if we could string together a whole bunch of joyful moments, we just might be successful in inspiring a child to love books."

📷: Images from the Music and Recorded Sound Division archive. Check out more at the Library for the Performing Arts.

08/26/2026

Singer Carrie Smith, born on this day in 1925, was an American blues and jazz singer, who appeared in the Broadway musical Black and Blue from 1989 to 1991.

She appears here in two stunning photos by Martha Swope of the musical.

📷: Carrie Smith in "Black and Blue," photos by Martha Swope, 1988.

08/24/2026

On this day in 1966, Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead" premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Stoppard's absurdist, existential take on "Hamlet" retells Shakespeare's classic play through the eyes of the minor characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Questioning the roles of fate, free will, and theatrical versus absolute reality, the play was critically acclaimed and soon made its way to Broadway, where it won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1968.

📷: Tom Stoppard and John Wood in a publicity shot for the Roundabout Theatre's production of "Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead," photo by Martha Swope. Billy Rose Theatre Division.

08/23/2026

Teens! Are you a high school student interested in theater? We have a free all-year program for you. Apply for the Library for the Performing Arts Teen Theater Ensemble.

Last chance to apply!

Deadline: Aug 28.

The Library for the Performing Arts seeks high school students interested in theater to participate in our after school theater program.

08/22/2026

Claude Debussy, born on this day in 1822, was a French composer, often credited with creating musical Impressionism (though he disliked the term). His works include "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun," the opera "Pelléas et Mélisande," "Nocturnes," and of course "Claire de Lune." What's your favorite?

His work spans our collections, including symphony recordings, sheet music arrangements, and dances to his music.

📷: Claude Debussy, portrait by Marcel Baschet, collected by Joseph Muller, 1884.