Acting News

NPR Topics: Performing Arts

News, interviews, and commentary on theater, the arts, music, and dance.

Troy Maxson: Heart, Heartbreak as Big as the World
He's the protagonist — you can't quite say "hero," unless you add "tragic" in front — of August Wilson's play Fences. James Earl Jones, who first played the part, helps explain why he's unforgettable.
Circus Family Is Ready for a Safety Net
After spending 10 years traveling the world in a 1962 double-decker bus that maxes out at 33 mph, the Sprockets Circus family is ready for the next attraction: a home. The trip taught its members some valuable lessons about their fellow man.
Jazz Education Group Sounds Its Siren Song
For 40 years, the International Association of Jazz Education has worked to promote jazz instruction at middle schools, high schools and colleges around the world. This week, the IAJE announced it was filing for bankruptcy protection and shutting down.
Morgan Freeman's New Role: An Actor, In Extremis
After nearly 20 years away from the stage, he's back on Broadway in The Country Girl, directed by Mike Nichols. His character: a washed-up actor with a love for the bottle and an uncertain gift.
What Did I Do With My Violin?
Every few months seems to bring another headline about a lost violin. This week, it was Philippe Quint, who lost his violin in New York City. David Sternbach, director of the Center for Arts and Wellness, talks with Robert Siegel about what makes classical musicians so forgetful.
MySpace Phenom Kate Nash Rocks in the Flesh
The English-Irish singer-songwriter stopped by the BPP studios to play "Skeleton Song," one of the arresting pop songs off her debut album, Made of Bricks.
Enter New Playwrights, Stage Left, in Denver
Three years ago, Kent Thompson became the artistic director of the Denver Center Theatre Company. Under his leadership, the company has become one of a handful of regional theaters around the country committed to developing new work.
Stage Mother from Hell: Needy, Greedy Mama Rose
Gypsy's antiheroine is a woman boiling over with frustrated ambition, who channels all her energies into turning her daughters into stars — woe be to anyone who gets in her way. Jeff Lunden has an appreciation.
Elderly Rock Singers Put on a Good Show
Los Angeles Times and Morning Edition film critic Kenneth Turan reviews the film Young at Heart. It's a documentary about a choir made up of senior citizens who perform songs by rock, punk and soul music artists.
The Breeders' Scrappy 'Mountain Battle'
Esquire music critic Andy Langer discusses the week's new album releases, including albums from The Breeders, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Hayes Carll, Ike Reilly, and Man Man.
May I Have Your Rather Valuable Autograph?
Al Wittnebert, an elder statesman of the autograph business, says there is a code of honor in seeking famous signatures — and that it can be a lucrative way to make a living.
Commuter Concerto Helps Writer Net Pulitzer
For his Pulitzer-prize winning feature story, Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post convinced world-class violinist Joshua Bell to play beautiful music in a Metrorail station to gauge commuters' reaction.
A Ukrainian Pop Star's Would-Be Revolution
Ruslana, Ukraine's biggest pop star, switches between two roles on stage: a limp, pale, synthetic woman chained to a machine for energy and a vibrant warrior whose energy comes from clean, renewable resources. But in post-Soviet Ukraine, her fans are more interested in capitalist consumption than conservation.
Bette Davis: In Those Eyes, Always a Glint of Fire
She was the Hollywood star for two decades, then a washout, then an Oscar nominee again — twice. On the centenary of her birth, NPR's Bob Mondello looks back at a star you think you know.
An Ideal Song for Senegalese Independence Day
It's Senegalese Independence Day. That's why "Dieureudieuf," by Coumba Gawlo, is the best song in the world today, says BPP intern Laura Silver, who spent three months in Senegal volunteering in a rural town.

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