Syncopated Stages Exhibition Gallery Tour

Join us at the Library for the Performing Arts for a free, guided tour of our new exhibition on Black musical theater history, Syncopated Stages: Black Disruptions to the Great White Way! This staff-led tour highlights the contributions of Black artists, shows, and theaters in the musical theater field, from pioneering artists of the 19th century to the great culture shapers and innovators of today.

Photo Credit: NYPL/Jonathan Blanc



About The Exhibition

Although the common nickname for Broadway, “the Great White Way,” refers, historically, to its dazzling lights, the phrase also suggests the ways in which many histories of New York theater center white artists. Black artists, though, have been important shapers of musical theater in the United States before the electric light was ever used on stage. In the early 20th century, Black composers and writers created many popular musicals in New York that helped define the genre, setting it apart from 19th-century traditions. New forms of syncopation, the disruption of the dominant rhythm, and narratives composed and written by Black artists challenged the prevailing sounds and depictions of Black people on stage. These innovations were more than stylistic. They pushed back against exclusion and stereotype, laying the groundwork for generations of Black artists whose contributions have reshaped Broadway. Syncopated Stages spotlights their work, acknowledges the challenges they faced, and celebrates the brilliance of what they made. We invite you to explore how Black artists transformed the New York stage and how their work still reverberates today.