The wonderful reason this woman is selling bags made from retired theater backdrops.

Turns out plays can create more than one type of art.

What happens to those massive gorgeous painted theater backdrops when a show ends?

Jen Kahn who has been a stage manager on and off Broadway for years, never gave a second thought to what happened to the stage scenery when a show ended until a road trip in 2015. She and her friend wandered into a store selling bags made from old sails from sailboats when inspiration struck.

They could do the same thing with discarded theater backdrops.

Keep Reading Show less
charity kids teens theater recycle reuse arts education musicals teenagers philanthropy crazy ex-girlfriend handbags plays upcycle backdrops fine arts
Most Shared

7 reasons why 'Hairspray' is more revolutionary than it seems.

It's basically impossible not to love "Hairspray." Just try not loving it, and you will see you can't.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images.

Indeed, the musical, which follows Baltimore teenager Tracy Turnblad's quest to integrate "The Corny Collins Show" in an era when TV was still segregated and to win the heart of the hunky Link Larkin over the objections of the evil Von Tussle mother-daughter squad, features an appealing, diverse cast, delightfully throwback choreo, and a closing number so soul-soaringly iconic that it's been duplicated and parodied ad infinitum.

Keep Reading Show less
lgbt gay marriage musicals harvey fierstein hairspray hairspray: live tracy turnblad divine marc shaiman scott wittman i know where i've been interracial relationships quaker
Most Shared

Watch Broadway stars record a song for the victims of the Orlando shooting.

In the face of hate, love must prevail.

The June 12, 2016, shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub came as a shock to the world — a senseless act of hate. The response to the tragedy, however, has been heartening. Within days, more than $4 million was raised for victims and their families on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe. Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays honored the city during their annual Pride Night game. Across the country, and across the world, people have responded to the tragedy with love and empathy for the LGBTQ community.

Just three days after the shooting, some of Broadway's biggest talents came together to offer a message so simple and yet so perfect: Love must prevail.

Broadway stars Idina Menzel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Audra McDonald, Sara Bareilles, Kristen Bell, Sean Hayes, Gloria Estefan, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Billy Porter, and Bernadette Peters were among the dozens of singers who gathered on June 15, at New York's Avatar Studios to record a version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's classic song, "What the World Needs Now Is Love."

Keep Reading Show less
culture music new york idina menzel kristen bell theater sara bareilles florida lin-manuel miranda broadway musicals shooting orlando broadway stars audra mcdonald sean hayes gloria estefan nathan lane matthew broderick billy porter bernadette peters what the world needs now is love burt bacharach hal david avatar studios
More

How a second-generation immigrant conquered Broadway as one of America's Founding Fathers.

The young man fixing his puffy shirt is Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan, 28, one of the stars of "Hamilton."

"What time is it? Showtime!" Well, almost. All GIFs via Upworthy/YouTube.

Keep Reading Show less
art empathy theater lin-manuel miranda hamilton broadway musicals okierete onaodowan performance founding fathers
Most Shared