New Books in Performing Arts

Marshall Poe

Music

Hollywood

New York City

Music Industry

Theater

Cultural Identity

World War II

Colonialism

American Opera

Celebrity Culture

Broadway

Globalization

Spotify

Capitalism

Folk Music

Feminism

Ballroom Dancing

Bible

David Bowie

Cuba

This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to ... more

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Publishes	Daily	Episodes	1164	Founded	13 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	ArtsPerforming Arts

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Latest Episodes

Es-pranza Humphrey, "Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen" (Poster House Museum, 2026)

Starting in the 1880s, Black performers, and those invested in telling stories centering Black people, attempted to counter the dehumanizing and harmful stereotypes used to portray Black characters. Shows began touting “All Colored Revues” to indicat... more

12 May 2026

David Womersley, "Thinking Through Shakespeare" (Princeton UP, 2026)

In the eighteenth century, Samuel Johnson famously argued that Shakespeare is enduringly popular because he “is above all writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature; the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manne... more

28 Apr 2026 • 1 hr 1 min

Michael Lee Nirenberg, "Cinematic Immunity" (Feral House, 2026)

The unbelievable insider stories of how they “got the shot,” Cinematic Immunity tells the story of New York City's movie industry from the crew members who created the sets, lit the scenes, and shot the film. Focused on the golden age (1950-1990) of ... more

25 Apr 2026 • 1 hr 1 min

Jes Battis, "It's Only Forever: Labyrinth" (ECW Press, 2026)

Jes Battis' new book, It's Only Forever. Labyrinth (ECW Press, 2026) is a wild, intimate, and political deep dive into Jim Henson’s 1986 classic starring David Bowie and its cast of lovable, gender-defying goblins. In the 40 years since Labyrinth’s r... more

25 Apr 2026 • 46 min

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Recent Guests

Es-pranza Humphrey

Assistant Curator of Collections at Poster House Museum

Poster House Museum

Episode: Es-pranza Humphrey, "Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen" (Poster House Museum, 2026)

David Womersley

Professor of English literature at the University of Oxford

Oxford University

Episode: David Womersley, "Thinking Through Shakespeare" (Princeton UP, 2026)

Jes Battis

Author of It's Only Forever, Labyrinth

ECW Press

Episode: Jes Battis, "It's Only Forever: Labyrinth" (ECW Press, 2026)

Michael Lee Nirenberg

Filmmaker and author, subject of Cinematic Immunity

Feral House (publisher)

Episode: Michael Lee Nirenberg, "Cinematic Immunity" (Feral House, 2026)

Laura Horak

Author and film studies scholar; Professor at Carleton University

Carleton University, Trans Cinema project

Episode: Laura Horak, "Trans Cinema: Making Communities, Identities, and Worlds" (U California Press, 2026)

Gabriella Safran

Ava Chernov-Loki Professor of Jewish Studies at Stanford University

Stanford University

Episode: Dybbuks, Golems, S. An-ski, and Jewish Legends in Times of Fear

Matti Lehtonen

Speaker/Producer involved in Chinese Shawshank Redemption stage production

University of Helsinki

Episode: The Shawshank Redemption in China: An Interview with Matti Lehtonen

Daniel Rachel

Author and musician

Akashic Books

Episode: Daniel Rachel, "This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika, and the Third Reich" (Akashic Books, 2026)

Danielle Bainbridge

Assistant Professor and the Director of Interdisciplinary PhD in the Theatre and Drama Program at Northwestern University

Northwestern University

Episode: Danielle Bainbridge, "Currencies of Cruelty: Slavery, Freak Shows, and the Performance Archive" (NYU Press, 2026)

Hosts

Renée Garris

Host associated with New Books Network.

Miranda Melcher

Host on The New Books Network; appears across performing arts discussions.

Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars from 10 ratings

Hidden Gem!
As a peace worker using movement and arts in my work, these podcasts are not only a library but helps me feel connected to like minds.
Letting others know
Apple Podcasts
5
Hawthorne the Pitbull
United States7 years ago

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Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The conversations are described as deeply researched and engaging, offering meaningful context for readers and practitioners of performance.

Some listeners value the breadth of topics but may wish for more widely varied guest backgrounds or more accessible summaries for non-specialists.

Listeners praise the show as a thoughtful, scholarly resource that connects academic insights with practical understanding of the arts.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts	#65	United Kingdom/Arts/Performing Arts
Apple Podcasts	#235	Canada/Arts/Performing Arts
Apple Podcasts	#224	Germany/Arts/Performing Arts
Apple Podcasts	#98	Netherlands/Arts/Performing Arts
Apple Podcasts	#106	Sweden/Arts/Performing Arts
Apple Podcasts	#139	Israel/Arts/Performing Arts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Es-pranza Humphrey, "Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen" (Poster House Museum, 2026)

Q: What do you hope visitors take away from the exhibition?

The goal is a deep historical understanding that acknowledges troubling moments like blackface while recognizing the space Black performers carved out in theater and film, and to leave with a sense of hope and continuity, understanding the resilience of Black audiences and creators across decades.

Es-pranza Humphrey, "Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen" (Poster House Museum, 2026)

Q: What surprised you the most during the curatorial process?

Humphrey discusses two surprises: the extent of Richard Norman's surprising commitment to producing Black‑led films as a white filmmaker, and the sheer volume of lost films, which makes posters and related artifacts crucial for reconstructing history; she also notes the emotional impact of viewing rare posters and artwork.

Es-pranza Humphrey, "Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen" (Poster House Museum, 2026)

Q: Talk about the impetus of the exhibit and how it made its way to the museum walls.

Humphrey explains that the exhibition grew from a decade of research into the Black chorus girl and the broader Black theater and film ecosystem, with posters serving as surviving artifacts when many films are lost; the idea was to present a historically contextualized narrative that centers Black performers and their stories.

Michael Lee Nirenberg, "Cinematic Immunity" (Feral House, 2026)

Q: Like, how'd you get the idea, and why did you decide to do it as an oral history?

I wanted an inside, documentary-style account that captured the voices of the people who actually build films, rather than a traditional historical overview. The oral history format lets dozens of crew members share firsthand stories, practical know-how, and the culture of union work, which often gets lost in more polished histories.

Michael Lee Nirenberg, "Cinematic Immunity" (Feral House, 2026)

Q: Talk about Cinematic Immunity and what it is.

Cinematic Immunity is the feeling of invincibility on a movie set, where the crew feels empowered to push boundaries because of the high stakes, the momentum of the production, and the close cooperation required to get complex shots done, though it can lead to risky or reckless moments.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About New Books in Performing Arts

What is New Books in Performing Arts about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show features scholarly conversations with authors and researchers in the performing arts, covering dance history and pedagogy, theatre and acting methods, music, performance studies, and translation and literary work. Episodes often center on new books or historical-cultural contexts, bringing rigorous analysis to topics like dance education, ballroom culture, method acting, postcolonial theory, and the politics of performance. Listeners can expect thoughtful cross-disciplinary discussions that connect archival research, cultural memory, and contemporary performance practice, with a strong emphasis on education, identity, and the social power of the arts. A notable strength is the consistent pairing of historians, literary scholars, a... more

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New Books in Performing Arts launched 13 years ago and published 1164 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on New Books in Performing Arts?

Recent guests on New Books in Performing Arts include:

1. Es-pranza Humphrey
2. David Womersley
3. Jes Battis
4. Michael Lee Nirenberg
5. Laura Horak
6. Gabriella Safran
7. Matti Lehtonen
8. Daniel Rachel

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