Theater

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with theater producer Jeffrey Seller about his new book, "Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir."

"Purpose" by playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, now on Broadway under the direction of longtime actress Phylicia Rashad, explores the generational conflicts in the civil rights movement.

Three plays with Oscar-winning celebrities are currently leading the Broadway box office.

Fugard, who died March 8, was a white South African whose plays explored the consequences of Apartheid. He was later awarded a Tony Award for lifetime achievement. Originally broadcast in 1986.

Feiffer was best known for illustrating the children's classic "The Phantom Tollbooth." His loopy lines left a lasting mark on art, literature and film.

Plowright brought stage and screen characters to vibrant life for more than six decades in such works as A Taste of Honey, Tea with Mussolini and Enchanted April.

Linda Lavin, the Tony Award-winning actress best known for her role as a single mom and waitress in the TV sitcom "Alice," has died. She was 87.

Gypsy has been called the best musical of all time. Audra McDonald is starring in a new Broadway revival, and the race-conscious casting gives the production a new frame.

Malcolm Washington talks about bringing the play The Piano Lesson — about a brother and sister battling over what to do with a family heirloom piano — to the big screen with his whole family.

Oscar, Emmy, and Tony-winning actress Maggie Smith played everything from wistful ingenues in Shakespeare to Harry Potter's Prof. McGonagall and the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey.