Bridgette Burton (left) Stephanie Ybarra and Rachael Erichsen all work at Baltimore Center Stage. Sydney J. Allen for NPR hide caption
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Playwright Charles Fuller, shown here in 1982, died of natural causes on Monday. He was 83. Bill Ingraham/AP hide caption
Playwright Tom Stoppard was in his 50s when he learned of his Jewish heritage. Almost 20 years after that discovery, he engages with with his family history and identity in the play Leopoldstadt. Joan Marcus hide caption
Tom Stoppard brings his Jewish identity to the stage – decades after he learned of it
Album cover for The First Time I Wore Hearing Aids. Ian Brennan hide caption
Raymond Antrobus uses spoken word poetry to portray a diverse experience of sound
The Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2016. Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe/Getty Images hide caption
Where are the Black musicians in the country's largest orchestras?
Oregon Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Nataki Garrett stands inside the Allen Elizabethan Theatre in Ashland, Ore. She recently programmed her first full season but not everyone has embraced her new approach. Michael Sullivan for NPR hide caption
Oregon Shakespeare Festival focuses on expansion – but is not without its critics
To mark the 75th anniversary of this uniquely American cultural movement, NPR is traveling across the country for a look forward in our series "The Next Stage." Kristen Uroda for NPR hide caption
To mark the 75th anniversary of this uniquely American cultural movement, NPR is traveling across the country for a look forward in our series "The Next Stage." Kristen Uroda for NPR hide caption
Across the U.S., regional theaters are starting to transform. Here's why
Misty Copeland performs onstage during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy hide caption
A poster advertising "The Phantom of the Opera" is displayed on the shuttered Majestic Theatre in New York on March 12, 2020. Broadway's longest-running show is scheduled to close in February 2023. Kathy Willens/AP hide caption
San Francisco Opera prompter Matthew Piatt sits in the prompter's box at the War Memorial Opera House. Chloe Veltman/NPR/Chloe Veltman/NPR hide caption
Oleksandr Shapoval volunteered to fight after the Russia invasion. The National Opera of Ukraine says he was killed on the battlefield. National Opera of Ukraine hide caption
Ukrainian ballet dancer Oleksandr Shapoval is killed on the battlefield
Members of the English punk band the Sex Pistols. From left: Lead singer and songwriter John Joseph Lydon a.k.a. Johnny Rotten, drummer Paul Cook, bass guitarist John Simon Ritchie a.k.a. Sid Vicious and guitarist Steve Jones. Mirrorpix/John Mead/Mirrorpix/Getty Images hide caption
Hear all of Lee Cataluna’s monologue, “Things My Mother Told Me”
Julia Ruth poses in the Cyr wheel. Rob Riingen/Julia Ruth hide caption
Comedians Brian Bahe, Maz Jobrani and Aparna Nancherla. Brian Bahe, Storm Santos and Aparna Nancherla hide caption
Heche suffered burns and an inhalation injury after she crashed her car earlier this month. Mike Coppola/Getty Images hide caption
Comedians Ziwe, Joel Kim Booster and Anjelah Johnson-Reyes. Myles Loftin/SHOWTIME, Taylor Miller and East 2 West Collective hide caption
Three comedians share their thoughts on what makes a great joke about race
Mary Rodgers and Jesse Green, co-authors of Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers Courtesy of the Rodgers-Beaty-Guettel family; Earl Wilson/New York Times hide caption
Published 8 years after her death, Mary Rodgers' memoir is a true tell-all book
Artist Tunde Olaniran Steven Piper/Tunde Olaniran hide caption
Artist Tunde Olaniran's 'Made a Universe' opens a portal at a Detroit museum
The Heart of Afghanistan project is Ahmad Fanoos on vocals & harmonium, his sons Elham on piano and Mehran on violin, with Hamid Habibzada on tabla. Sachyn Mital/Sachyn Mital hide caption
Actress Mary Alice holding her Emmy Award in the press room in 1993. Dan Watson/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images hide caption