On a winter evening in 1943, in a former Masonic Temple on West 55th Street that had been scheduled for demolition, a concert was held whose reverberations are still being felt 75 years later. That night, New York City Center was born. As the first performing arts center in Manhattan, the fledgling institution broke new ground by presenting dance, music, theater, and opera under the same roof. This multi-use approach to performing arts venues set the mold for the presentation of the arts around the country in the second half of the 20th century. Through constant innovations, City Center continues to be a performing arts leader in the 21st century.
For the first time ever, a striking new exhibition will tell the story of “The People’s Theater” through a wide range of material including photographs, costumes, props, theater seats, posters, mosaic tiles, and other ephemera that provide a fresh perspective on City Center’s first 75 years. During its storied history, City Center has been the birthplace of New York City Ballet, New York City Opera, and the revival of Chicago—the longest running American musical on Broadway. All this and more will be featured in the exhibit, which will also showcase performance highlights such as Paul Robeson in Othello, Leonard Bernstein leading his orchestra for the first time, and the Joffrey Ballet’s historic revival of Massine’s Parade; selections from 25 years of Encores! productions ranging from Fiorello to Me and My Girl; boundary-breaking Encores! Off-Center performances; and dances from Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, and the hundreds of ensembles from around the world that have participated in City Center’s celebrated Fall for Dance Festival and Flamenco Festival. A special gallery will be devoted to original Al Hirschfeld drawings that document nearly the entire history of theater, dance, music, and opera at City Center. Like so much of the material in the exhibition, many of these Hirschfeld works have never been exhibited before.
This celebration of City Center’s 75th Anniversary will fill visitors with the thrill of the performing arts that, to this day, enlivens every room of the cultural beehive. It will show without a doubt that City Center has been not just a center for performing arts, but truly the center of the performing arts in New York City for the last 75 years. And by honoring City Center's enduring past, it will give both its longtime devotees and its newest admirers at taste of what might be yet to come in its next 75.
