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New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

Performing Arts

(Krish Dev for WSN)

From rehearsal to Radio City: A summer that hit the right note

The cast of NYU's Presidential Welcome Reality Show opened up about the behind-the-scenes of putting together an original show and performing at a legendary New York City venue.
Skylar Boilard, Performing Arts Editor September 12, 2025

After a long and academically draining semester, many students might allow themselves to take a much-needed break, spending their summers relaxing before they return to the...

(Suditi Sircar for WSN)

Must-see theater in NYC this fall

From politically charged ballads to original comedies, here’s what’s onstage on and off Broadway.
Ethan Li, Staff Writer September 4, 2025

Theater marquees across New York City are flickering back to life with the start of Broadway’s fall season. What better way to ring in the occasion — and the start of a new...

"Maybe Happy Ending," written by Steinhardt alum Hue Park and Tisch alum Will Aronson, was the most awarded production at the awards ceremony. (Courtesy of Matthew Murphy)

18 alumni take home Tony Awards

NYU alumni scored 22 awards in seven categories at this year’s ceremony, including best play and best new musical.
Ethan Li, Staff Writer June 10, 2025

NYU alumni secured best play and best new musical at this year’s Tony Awards — two of the night's top honors, and just a couple of the 22 total awards won by former Violets...

Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, starring as Othello and Iago. (Courtesy photo by Julieta Cervantes)

Review: ‘Othello’s’ star-studded cast outshines its meaning

The Shakespearean play's brief return to Broadway is supported by A-list stars and a Tony-winning director, but lacks vision.
Nghi Nguyen, Contributing Writer April 30, 2025

The Bard’s return to Broadway made headlines last March, with the announcement that two of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors, Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, would...

(Courtesy of Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

Review: ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ exists as just a live television episode

The spectacle-filled prequel to the series, better fit for a theme park than Broadway, arrives with enough fog to fill the entire Marquis Theatre.
Ethan Li, Deputy Copy Chief April 28, 2025

“Stranger Things” fans, rejoice! A new show on Broadway has everything for you. At the Marquis Theatre, you’ll see the beloved characters you remember from the series....

(Courtesy of Evan Zimmerman)

Review: ‘All Nighter’ takes on the college student’s psyche

This one-act show captures all of the saccharine sincerity inherent to college friendships and campus politics — for better or for worse.
Eleanor Jacobs, Music Editor April 28, 2025

In 95 minutes, “All Nighter” doesn’t just tell the story of one night. Natalie Margolin’s off-Broadway, one-act play chronicles graduating college housemates’ final study...

(Courtesy of Damon Baker)

Review: ‘John Proctor is the Villain’ wages war on the male abuser

Open up your SparkNotes: Kimberly Belflower’s new play stages a reexamination of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.”
Ethan Li, Deputy Copy Chief April 23, 2025

This review contains spoilers. The new play, “John Proctor is the Villain,” confusingly introduced itself to Broadway. With an Instagram bio promising a show “running...

(Daniel Yee for WSN)

Remembering William Finn: Finding joy in pain, at NYU and on Broadway

The composer-lyricist and Tisch professor was widely known for the award-winning Broadway musical “Falsettos” and nurturing young writers.
Ethan Li and Ella Sabrina Malabanan April 22, 2025

“The living was the prize / The ending’s not the story / Just saying my goodbyes” — William Finn, from “Elegies: A Song Cycle.” The theater community lost a treasured...

(Courtesy of Marc Brenner)

Review: Sarah Snook redefines live theater in ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’

The literary classic goes digital in Broadway’s newest masterpiece.
Amelia Knust, Staff Writer April 18, 2025

One woman, 26 characters and two uninterrupted hours of awe. This is exactly what hundreds of theatergoers flock to at the Music Box Theatre. Kip Williams’ newest theatrical...

(Courtesy of Matthew Murphy)

Review: ‘Smash’ makes a messy TV show even worse

The new Broadway adaptation of the 2012 NBC series struggles with the transition from screen to stage.
Ella Sabrina Malabanan, Deputy Copy Chief April 18, 2025

NBC’s 2012 series “Smash” is the ultimate guilty pleasure. Even though it is often described as a hate-watch, the show’s phenomenal original music by “Hairspray” composer-lyricists...

(Courtesy of Emilio Madrid)

Review: Cursing, cutthroat comedians duke it out in ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’

Despite its cast of award-winning actors led by Kieran Culkin and Bob Odenkirk, this revival of David Mamet’s tragicomedy about real-estate agents lands unevenly on Broadway.
Ethan Li, Deputy Copy Chief April 11, 2025

Before “Glengarry Glen Ross” begins, director Patrick Marber chose to project a set of glistening steak knives on the scrim at the Palace Theatre. In theory, this addition...

(Courtesy of Marc J. Franklin)

Review: ‘Purpose’ stages a contemplative family reunion

Two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ new dramedy explores the tensions within a politically powerful Black family.
Ethan Li, Deputy Copy Chief April 10, 2025

A portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. hangs on the wall of the Jasper family home. It’s the first thing you see when you walk into the Hayes Theater to watch Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’...