In celebration of the tenth anniversary of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, which is one of the museums of the Smithsonian targeted for an unprecedented ideological assault by the current administration, here is a sample of the theater-related objects and images (among the more than 45,000 objects in the permanent collection) as well as links to theater-related exhibitions, curator-written articles and news from the museum over the past decade.

The most prominent permanent exhibition  is “Taking the Stage” (pictured above) from which many of the images below are taken.

Click on the images to see them enlarged, and read any captions.

Celebrating James Baldwin’s 100th Birthday: His Legacy and Influence on Literature, Film, and Theater

Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: The Apollo Theater and American Entertainment

National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Alvin Ailey Photography Collection Is Now Available to the Public

One-Man Show ‘Frederick Douglass Now’ Leads July Public Programming at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Art as a Platform for Justice
One of the most esteemed entertainers of the 20th century, Harry Belafonte leveraged his decades-long career in music, movies, and theater to challenge racial barriers. Whether performing on the Ed Sullivan Show or marching alongside Martin Luther King

Remembering a Milestone in Entertainment History
Shuffle Along had its Broadway premiere on May 23, 1921 at the 63rd Street Music Hall, which was renamed Daly’s 63rd Street Theater the following year. The show quickly became a major hit, so popular that it caused curtain time traffic jams

A Choreopoem on Broadway
Poet and playwright Ntozake Shange debuted her groundbreaking work, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf in 1974 using an innovative form she defined as a choreopoem.Shuffle Along had its Broadway premiere on May 23, 1921 at the 63rd Street Music Hall, which was renamed Daly’s 63rd Street Theater the following year. The show quickly became a major hit, so popular that it caused curtain time traffic jams