'How Do I Become Happy?' Advice From a Professional Fool by John Leland

Stanley Allan Sherman, one of the niche artisans of New York theater, makes leather masks for the stage. And the occasional pro wrestler.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 5:18pm on July 9, 2021☆⚑

Their Buzzy Off Broadway Play Shut Down. Here's What They Did Next. by John Leland

When the virus forced New York theater to go dark, it upended thousands of lives, from actors to ticket takers. An anatomy of one production.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 5:54am on October 8, 2020☆⚑

John McCormack, a Nurturing Theater Producer, Dies at 61 by John Leland

Mr. McCormack, who died of coronavirus-related causes, lifted the careers of Off Broadway actors and playwrights, even as he remained elusive.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 2:18pm on June 4, 2020☆⚑

Sunday Routine: How Julia Jordan, Champion of Female Playwrights, Spends Her Sundays by John Leland

She manages to find time for everything but writing plays. But on her Brooklyn porch, with neighbors, that can wait.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 5:18am on October 26, 2018☆⚑

The Woody Allen Reboot You Won't See at the Oscars (or Maybe Anywhere) by John Leland

Two young artists remade "Annie Hall" with a cast from a senior center. As actors and crew bonded, a new kind of love story developed.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 5:01am on March 2, 2018☆⚑

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Next Lion of New York by John Leland

The unifying voice of the Obama years digs in for a fractious new era and a second child.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 5:00am on February 16, 2018☆⚑

Saying Goodbye to the Broadway Hit 'On Your Feet!' by John Leland

After 746 performances, the musical "On Your Feet!" has gone silent. Its male star, Ektor Rivera, reflected on its fans, the cast and what's next.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 3:24pm on August 23, 2017☆⚑

How Sam Shepard Hit Downtown New York and Reinvented Himself by John Leland

Cheap rents, wild music, easy drugs and open stages: Friends and colleagues from the 1960s recall the dramatist's beginnings.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 1:24pm on August 4, 2017☆⚑

Sunday Routine: How André Holland Spends the Day: Onstage, and on His Couch by John Leland

When he isn't performing in "Jitney," Mr. Holland catches up with friends, family and scripts in need of a read. Then he usually falls asleep in his favorite place.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 9:18am on February 24, 2017☆⚑

A Boot Camp for Broadway's Starry-Eyed Fledglings by John Leland

Part prize ceremony, part bake-off, this year's National High School Musical Theater Awards were a heady experience for the 62 teenagers who took part.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 5:31pm on June 28, 2016☆⚑

At the Table: Over Blintzes, Savoring and Saying Goodbye to Cafe Edison by John Leland

At Cafe Edison, a theater district haunt that is closing on Sunday, a couple bemoaned the loss of a New York institution.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 2:13pm on December 19, 2014☆⚑

A Poet With Words Trapped Inside by John Leland

Ntozake Shange, suffering from the effects of two strokes and a neurological disorder, is unable to write or type, and even voice recognition software is working against her, auto-correcting…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 8:46pm on October 25, 2013☆⚑

Turning Chaos Into Theater, With a Cast of 200 by John Leland

The Public Theater's musical adaptation of Shakespeare draws on unconventional performers from the five boroughs, including ex-offenders, nannies, children and the elderly.   …

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 5:56pm on August 30, 2013☆⚑

Players Club Director Survives an Ouster Vote by John Leland

One thing to be said for theater people: they know drama. On Thursday night, more than 100 members of the Players, a private club founded for actors, crowded into the main dining room of its…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 6:20am on March 16, 2013☆⚑

The Slave Theater in Brooklyn at Center of Bitter Battle Over Ownership by John Leland

The Slave Theater in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, once a hub of civil rights activity, is mired in a bitter battle over ownership rights.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 5:04pm on February 11, 2012☆⚑

Scouting the City for Her Characters by John Leland

Sarah Jones, a playwright and performer who could be described as an unlicensed anthropologist, hunts the streets of New York looking for inspiration for her next show.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 3:20am on August 21, 2011☆⚑