722 stories from PBS
On February 8, 1996, Dionne Warwick discussed her musical influences and the impact that Lena Horne and others had on her career, in this clip from our digital archives. Interview conducted …
As a successful actor, athlete, singer and activist, Paul Robeson's impact on American culture is profound. At the height of his popularity, he was a cultural leader in the war against fasci…
Writer Tony Kushner and actress Rita Moreno discuss his winning screenplay for "West Side Story" as well as what went into reviving this classic tale for a modern audience.
The post Tony Kus…
For playwright Tennessee Williams, masterpieces like "A Streetcar Named Desire," "The Glass Menagerie" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" came from a deep understanding of emotion and an intense pa…
Marin Alsop reflects on her first interaction with Leonard Bernstein at the Tanglewood Music Festival.
The post Learning from Leonard Bernstein appeared first on Great Performances.
Writer, singer and educator Aiden K. Feltkamp reflects on their journey as a trans nonbinary opera singer. Feltkamp recognizes the impact representation can have to inspire change, connectin…
Writer Laurence Maslon highlights how Arthur Miller's body of work scrutinized the "moral compass of American society." "Why do you not direct some of the magnificent ability you have to fig…
The legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey's dances center on the Black American experience with grace, strength and beauty. Here are 10 iconic dances he choreographed, running the emotional ga…
Adrienne Warren (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical), Michael James Scott (Aladdin), and Sara Bareilles (Waitress) discuss what it's like bringing their shows back into the rehearsal room.
The po…
Go behind the scenes of the reopening night of "Wicked" as Kristin Chenoweth and the cast prepare to bring one of Broadway's biggest musicals back to the stage.
The post Reopening "Wicked" a…
Journalist and former professional dancer Juan Michael Porter II shares an intimate perspective on Alvin Ailey's transformative career, finding inspiration in Ailey's hidden battle with AIDS…
Khalia Campbell shares her day-to-day life as a dancer in the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. 1. In broad strokes, what does a typical workweek look like for you from Monday to Friday? D…
Alvin Ailey is one of the most important choreographers in the history of modern dance. In 1958, at just 27 years old, he founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ailey's vision was o…
Journalist Kayla Stewart reflects on Alvin Ailey's lasting impression on American culture. On the stage of the New York City Center, there's a slight rumbling that emerges from the stage, al…
Listen to Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sara Bareilles, Adrienne Warren, Andrew Rannells, Kristin Chenoweth and others discuss what "Broadway" means to them.
The post Broadway Is… appeared first on…
In this outtake from "Ailey," former Ailey dancers recall how Alvin Ailey worked hard to raise money for the company. There was a "burden that was on him to keep us all working and to make s…
In this outtake from "Ailey," Bill T. Jones, guest choreographer of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recalls telling Alvin Ailey that he did not want to be considered a "Black choreog…
Acclaimed hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris honors the legacy of Alvin Ailey with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's first two-act ballet, "Lazarus" " a trilogy including Harris' pas…
Exploring the Black American experience through choreography, Alvin Ailey searched for "truth in movement." In his legacy, artists continue to be inspired by the profound impact of his work …
Rennie Harris was tapped by Robert Battle, Ailey Artistic Director, to choreograph a piece about Ailey for the 60th anniversary of the company. To prepare, the two reviewed archival footage …
Ailey described "Revelations" as "an evening-long saga about the Black experience," and the performance had a huge impact on Black dancers when it premiered in 1960. "I was moved to tears se…
Ailey describes his "blood memories" and growing up during the Great Depression in Texas, where he met a friend who had a lasting impact on his life. "Chauncey saved my life. ... Chauncey Gr…
One of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, "I Love Lucy" changed the history of television forever. The life of a scatterbrained housewife with the ability to turn simple chores into u…
"Esa es Rita Moreno. La nuestra," said my maternal grandmother Ada Loubriel into the cassette recorder. It was 1976, and I, a precocious 10-year-old documentarian, was recording my family wa…
Even in the 21st Century, if you went to Rebecca Nurse's house, in what used to be Salem Village, and knock on the door, someone fascinating would open it. I discovered this when I visited S…
