New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

10/05/2026

The Library for the Performing Arts is closed for the rest of today.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

10/05/2026

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read—and the fight against censorship extends beyond books to the stage. 🎭✨

In partnership with No Book Bans - All Youth Should Be Seen and Heard, the Library for the Performing Arts is highlighting challenged plays from our collection. Like banned books, many of these works center LGBTQ+ voices, people of color, and disability experiences. Stop by the Library for the Performing Arts or any NYPL branch to borrow a challenged play today!

A selection of plays from the Library for the Performing Arts' circulating collection that have been the subject of banning efforts.

10/04/2026

Thank you to Indian Bharatnatyam artist RAMA VAIDYANATHAN for coming from Dehli for the fifth annual Dr. Kothari Lecture at the Library for the Performing Arts! Here are a few shots from the performance and lecture.

10/02/2026

Duncan Sheik, who passed away recently at age 56 , was a Tony Award-winning composer, and lyricist. Sheik performed at the Library for the Performing Arts in a gala event celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Billy Rose Theatre Division. Here he is performing at the event with LaChanze and Jennifer Damiano.

Sheik began his musical career as a pop star, releasing several albums and gaining recognition for his biggest hit, "Barely Breathing." He then transitioned to composing for Broadway. While "Spring Awakening" is by far his most celebrated score, he wrote several other musicals, including "Alice By Heart" and "American Psycho."

And Sheik's music lives on: his newest musical, "Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen," opened recently at the The Night Egg at the Culture Club. In November, the much-anticipated off-Broadway revival of "Spring Awakening" opens at Studio Seaview. And next year, a revival of "American Psycho" is set to open off-Broadway in 2027.

10/02/2026

Come check out a free screening of E.T. at the Library for the Performing Arts, in addition to a selection of short films from our archive on 16mm. This series is part of our monthly screening of featuring films you know and love.

Welcome to the first film in the latest edition of our New Classics series at the Library for the Performing Arts.

10/01/2026

In this stunning photo, Dance Theater of Harlem dancers perform in Arthur Mitchell's "Rhythmetron."

The piece was one of the first works that Mitchell set on his new company, having previously choreographed it for the Companhia Brasileira de Ballet. Critics praised the dance's musicality as well as Mitchell's new take on the Balanchine style.

📷: Six dancers in Arthur Mitchell's Rhythmetron, no. 74, photo by Martha Swope, 1975. Jerome Robbins Dance Division.

09/30/2026

Backstage at last week's celebration of John Coltrane's 100th birthday at the Library for the Performing Arts! Thank you Naima Cochrane, David Murray, Ashley Kahn, and Brandee Younger for joining our panel discussion in collaboration with Ten Speed Press.

09/29/2026

You know Mr. B. (Balanchine), but do you know the other Mr. B? On 10/5, a panel of artists will come to the Library for the Performing Arts to discuss the influence of Buddy Bradley.

Nearly every famous name in dance in the mid-20th century was touched by the work of this jazz dancer and choreographer. Maureen Footer has written a new biography about Bradley, "Feel the Floor," that delves into his far-reaching influence, which inspired choreographers like George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Agnes de Mille.

A panel of dance artists joins Footer to discus and display the legacy of their collaboration through live demonstrations at the Library for the Performing Arts.

A panel of dance artists discuss the influence of the innovative jazz dancer and choreographer, Buddy Bradley with live demonstrations.

09/29/2026

Meet Stella Bloch: an artist and dancer who documented world dance traditions and defined 1920s bohemian elegance. The Library's Claire Charvet showed us some of the surprising items you can find at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the Library for the Performing Arts.

Learn more by making your own research visit!

09/27/2026

A few shots from American Tap Dance Foundation's Tap City Awards event at the Library for the Performing Arts on that happened earlier this month, that included archival film clips and live performances, celebrating the rich legacy and vibrant future of tap dance.