San Antonio is stepping behind the curtain and into the spotlight this fall! The McNay Art Museum presents “A People’s History: The American Experiment on Stage,” a dazzling exhibition that celebrates 250 years of American storytelling through the magic of theater — on view through November 8, 2026.
Set designs, costume sketches and hand-built maquettes fill the galleries with the spirit of beloved productions: Hamilton, Hair, The Color Purple, Hairspray, In the Heights and Porgy and Bess are all here, alongside artwork from acclaimed contemporary designers Sara Ryung Clement, Takeshi Kata and Paul Tazewell.
The journey begins in 1787 with Arch Lauterer’s 1947 curtain designs for The Contrast, the first American play ever professionally produced — complete with patriotic colors and a proud bald eagle. From there, the exhibition travels through more than two centuries of stages, music and imagination, drawing on the McNay’s renowned Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts.
Timed with the nation’s America 250 commemorations, it is a joyful reminder of how the theater has always reflected who we are: creative, resilient and always reaching for something brighter.
Grab your family, your theater-loving friends and your sense of wonder — the curtain is up at the McNay.
Photo: McNay Art Museum
