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Naveen Kumar is a culture writer and editor whose recent work also appears on them.us, Vox, and The Hollywood Reporter. He serves as theater critic for Towleroad and contributes reviews to Time Out New York. His arts features have appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, and more.
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For This Broadway Star, ‘Drag Is Such a Tool of Freedom’
PROUD AND FREEThe journey of Daphne in Broadway’s “Some Like It Hot” mirrors the experience of their nonbinary portrayer J Harrison Ghee. “You have to free yourself to see yourself,” Ghee says.

Can RuPaul & Will Smith Help Save Broadway’s ‘Ain’t No Mo’’?
NEVER STOP FIGHTINGAn all-star rescue team is helping Jordan E. Cooper try to save “Ain’t No Mo’” from closure. Now Broadway must re-examine how it promotes shows by artists of color, Cooper says.

Jack Holden Answered a Call for Help, Then Wrote a Hit Play
LISTENING EARJack Holden, a volunteer with much-cherished British LGBTQ charity Switchboard, was inspired to write his acclaimed play “Cruise” from the many calls for help and advice he took.

London’s Hottest Theater Sees a Group of Women on the Verge
CURTAIN UPLondon’s West End is trying to bounce back with high-voltage, starry productions—“Cabaret,” “The Seagull,” “The Glass Menagerie,” and “All of Us”—in which women take center stage.

‘So Excited!’ Broadway’s Biggest Fans Rejoice as It Reopens
‘WHAT JUST HAPPENED?’We were with the fans at Broadway’s big reopening for “Hamilton,” “Wicked,” “Chicago,” and “The Lion King.” Plus, “Chicago” star Bianca Marroquín on how the evening “stunned” her.

What Have Broadway’s White Leaders Learned About Racism?
WORDS AND ACTIONSAt a forum organized by the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, white theater industry leaders talked about, or often around, the practicalities of anti-racist learning and practices.

Broadway Is Back, and May Finally Confront Its Racism
RADICAL CHANGEBroadway’s reckoning with racism began after George Floyd’s murder. Now, activists hope that actions taken in rehearsal rooms and productions will lead to institutional change.

Theater Died in 2020. Its Rebirth Will Be Suitably Dramatic.
Curtain UpCoronavirus brought the curtain down on Broadway, and theaters across America. Tim Teeman and Naveen Kumar discuss the effects of the shutdown, and the shape of theater’s rebirth.

Teenagers ‘Give Voice’ to August Wilson’s Powerful Legacy
‘HE’S TALKING ABOUT US’The documentary “Giving Voice,” about teenagers competing in the August Wilson Monologue Competition, reminds us of the playwright's indelible legacy—and the power of theater.

This Costume Designer Is Fighting to End Racism on Broadway
TRUTH-TELLERTony-nominated costume designer Dede Ayite is thinking deeply about how to create equity in theater. Her work also demonstrates the breadth and vibrancy of Black stories.
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