Tuesday, September 22, 2020
As a veteran stand-up comedian, Quinn has spent decades on the road, performing in 47 out of the 50 states he now affectionately eviscerates in his new book, Overstated.
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 02:06AMSaturday, May 9, 2020
Live audiences help comics get exposure and work out new material. Colin Quinn says virtual platforms don't replicate "the tension" of being in front of a room full of strangers.
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 02:42AMFriday, January 17, 2020
Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher is known for adding surprising twists to classic American musicals and dramas. He says when reviving productions you have to ask: "Why are you doing it ri…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 03:03AMThursday, January 2, 2020
When a teacher suggested Gina Yashere become an actor, her mom said: "Actor? No, no, no. You can act like a doctor when you become a doctor." Yashere is now a co-creator of Bob Hearts Abisho…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:54AMThursday, December 26, 2019
All Things Considered's Best of 2019 lists are going highly specific. Up next: the best bits from stand-up comedy specials, from Best Joke about the Immigrant Experience to Best Bit about Pr…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 03:54AMMonday, October 28, 2019
Sarah Silverman, Tiffany Haddish and Jon Stewart were among the comedians who honored Chappelle as he received the annual American humor award in a music-filled ceremony at the Kennedy Cente…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:24AMSunday, September 22, 2019
When a teacher suggested Yashere become an actor, her mom said: "Actor? No, no, no. You can act like a doctor when you become a doctor." Yashere is now a co-creator of the sitcom Bob Hearts …
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:24PMSaturday, July 6, 2019
Brian Regan has been called "your favorite comedian's favorite comedian." He's also known as a "clean comic," which might explain why families make up a good portion of his audience.
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 01:18PMTuesday, May 7, 2019
The comic and actor, known for his boundary-pushing stand-up routines and his sketch comedy TV series Chappelle's Show, will receive the award in a gala at the Kennedy Center.
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:36PMFriday, April 26, 2019
He's a favorite of other comics — a physical, observational and airtight performer who works "clean." All that helps explain why families make up a good portion of his massive audience.
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:06AMWednesday, February 20, 2019
For centuries, people have turned to jesters for relief from the miseries of life. As it turns out, some stand-up performers turn pain and rage into their own coping and catharsis.
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:01AMSaturday, September 29, 2018
She's known for celebrity imitations: Hillary Clinton and Owen Wilson, Jennifer Lopez and Bjork, and so on. Now, as she joins Saturday Night Live's full cast, she's learning what else she ca…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 10:24AMSaturday, July 28, 2018
Pain has long been at the root of great comedic material, and it was no different at this year's annual Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal.
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 03:36PMFriday, April 6, 2018
A lot has changed since Mean Girls came out in 2004, but Tina Fey points to one reason the story still holds up: Older women and teens can both see themselves playing out their worst behavio…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:06AMMonday, December 4, 2017
Lionel Richie, Gloria Estefan, hip-hop pioneer LL Cool J, Norman Lear and dancer Carmen De Lavallade are this year's Kennedy Center Honorees. Not present, the president and first lady.
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 10:42AMWednesday, August 9, 2017
Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 received rave reviews and 12 Tony nominations, the makings of a Broadway hit. Now, it's closing, in part because of a controversy over casting and…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 07:42PMTuesday, August 1, 2017
Kevin Hart is launching a streaming comedy service. The actor's Laugh Out Loud Network, which rolls out this week, enters an already crowded market. LANGUAGE ADVISORY: There are two bleeps …
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:36AMMonday, July 31, 2017
Comedian Sasheer Zamata just came off four seasons on Saturday Night Live. Now, she wants to break through to the next part of her career. She just performed her own standup at the internati…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:36AMThursday, May 18, 2017
For his role as Pierre, Groban had to be able to play the accordion while navigating multiple sets of stairs. His replacement, Okieriete Onaodowan, has about two months to master the instrum…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 11:05AMFriday, April 21, 2017
Hawkins auditioned for his first acting gig at the Kennedy Center when he was 9 years old. Now he's the star of the action drama series 24: Legacy, and he's also appearing in a Broadway play.
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:31AMSaturday, March 18, 2017
New York artist Jo Lampert just landed her first major role: Joan in David Byrne's new rock opera based on Joan of Arc. With her androgynous appearance and bluesy voice, Lampert seems like a…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 10:18AMFriday, January 27, 2017
Roe tells the stories of "Jane Roe" and the lawyer who argued her side of the case. Playwright Lisa Loomer says it may be a history play, but so much of what happens in it still happens toda…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:33AMThursday, June 30, 2016
In District Merchants, Shylock is still Jewish, but half of the other characters are freed slaves. The playwright says he was inspired but a reference to slavery in Shakespeare's original te…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:10PMThursday, January 21, 2016
Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage spent two years visiting Reading, Pa., to research her new play. Sweat explores how industrial decline affected workers in the former steel and textile tow…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:48PMMonday, December 21, 2015
Russia's Bolshoi Ballet was rocked following the 2013 acid attack on the company's artistic director. A new documentary airing Monday on HBO, Bolshoi Babylon, looks at the culture of the com…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:26PMWednesday, October 14, 2015
Comedian's absorbing tale as a first generation American and the NBA (New Brown America).
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 05:03PMTuesday, October 6, 2015
The South Carolina flood has left the Columbia Classical Ballet Company without not just its costumes and scores but its building.
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 08:20PMMonday, September 28, 2015
You'd think the sign in front of dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov's arts center would have his name in lights — but actually, you can barely see it. He says what happens inside is way more impor…
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:01AMFriday, August 14, 2015
A new musical by Tony nominated songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Dear Evan Hansen is a comedic drama that deals with teen suicide in the age of social media.
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 06:12PMFriday, July 24, 2015
Just For Laughs, the biggest and oldest comedy festival in the world, is underway in Montreal. We'll find out who's new, who's returned and learn about some surprise hits.
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:54AMThursday, July 23, 2015
Ortega is one of the most sought after choreographers in showbiz. He's worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Zac Efron and is responsible for some of Hollywood's most memorable dance …
SOURCE: National Public Radio at 09:46AM 
